A Winton-raised military chaplain has been recognised for building a support system for SAS families that the New Zealand Defence Force has now adopted across its operations.
Chaplain Class 3 Rich Lander received a Chief of Army Commendation in Auckland last week, following four years attached to the 1st New Zealand Special Air Service at Papakura Military Camp. The award cited his "exceptional dedication and initiative" in conceiving, establishing and leading the Family Support Team — a proactive framework for keeping connected with the partners and children of deployed personnel.
The gap Lander identified was straightforward: families at home weren't being reached until something went wrong. The FST flipped that.
"This often took the form of a 'cold' phone call on behalf of the FST and command, introducing ourselves, being interested in how things were going for them, and offering support and resources," Lander said.
Deployment dinners brought partners, kids, and command elements together — partly for information, mostly to build community among people living through the same thing.
"Feedback has been really positive from our personnel and partners alike. Even just receiving a phone call seemed to make a difference for some."
His citation says the FST has strengthened the SAS community, improved family resilience, and sharpened command awareness. It has since been integrated into operational planning across the wider defence force. An enduring contribution, in the language of the commendation.
Lander was modest about the recognition. "I guess it's just doing the job and looking after our people the best we can. This was certainly a team effort and couldn't have done it on my own. I was very lucky to have such a great FST and a fully supportive 1NZSAS command team."
He enlisted in the Navy in 2016 and never expected to end up alongside the SAS, let alone embedded with them for four years. The culture was different — different language, different pace.
"The SAS are a very motivated, hard-working and committed group of service personnel, who consistently want to excel at their role. In many ways, these are attributes demonstrated by personnel in all branches of the military — but the obvious difference is that the SAS are constantly at the sharp end."
Lander has since returned to Devonport Naval Base, where he is now serving as co-ordinating chaplain.