According to its founder Matt Frazer, Skol Beard Co has two missions. The first is to reinvent the quality of beard grooming products in Australia. The second is to support veterans when they need it most.
Mr Frazer, a Commonwealth Bank customer who has served five years in the army and seven years in the Royal Australian Regiment, has pledged to donate $1 from every item sold by the Adelaide-based business to the charity Young Veterans.
“We have donated over $30,000 since launching Skol Beard Co in July 2021,” says Mr Frazer, praising Young Veterans for its “day-in and day-out” commitment to connecting veterans to support they need and running “awesome” activities to get veterans out and about again.
“For me, it was a no-brainer to give back to a charity that has helped so many people from my own community,” he says. “I have also been fortunate enough to employ two veterans within the company.”
Below, Mr Frazer shares his reflections on Remembrance Day with CBA Newsroom and why he believes it’s important for all Australians to commemorate this solemn occasion.
Remembrance Day to me is a day to reflect and attempt to comprehend the gravity of what has occurred in the not-so-distant past, during times of conflict.
For myself – every day is a day to remember. If you ever need a motivator to have a good, productive day – consider the thousands of Australians who have sacrificed everything for our way of life.
Enjoy it, love it. Don’t forget. Don’t take it for granted – remember that Australian and Allied servicemen paid the ultimate sacrifice to enable us to live the way we do now.
Skol Beard Co's Matt Frazer
Remembrance Day is one of the most important days of the year, only comparable to Anzac Day. This is a day to acknowledge the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces. In my opinion – nothing is comparable.
These words are extremely relevant and always will be. They tell such an important story. In early November 1918, the Germans called for an armistice (pause in fighting) to negotiate peace. This was due to Germans facing an unrelenting and vicious push from our Allied armies. On the 11th of November, at 11am, negotiations began. The Germans surrendered unconditionally — finally bringing an end the First World War.
Although there are a lot of similarities between Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, Anzac Day is dedicated to Australia and New Zealand forming an alliance on 25 April 1915. Although it is still a day of reflection, Anzac Day is a largely celebrated day — games like two-up come to mind.
Remembrance Day is dedicated all Allied servicemen. Remembrance Day is recognised by many Allied countries — USA, UK, Canada, France, Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia to name a few. Remembrance Day is less about celebration and the focus is on acknowledgement of and honouring our servicemen.
I think Remembrance Day has had a dwindling amount of attention brought to it as each year passes. To me, this is disappointing. Australia seems less patriotic than ever before – I believe this is due to the lack of education and publicity surrounding our armed forces. If more Australians took the time to educate themselves and comprehend the gravity of what has occurred during times of conflict, Anzac and Remembrance Day would be the most important days on the calendar year – for every Australian.
Find out more about Matt Frazer’s business Skol Beard Co. For more information or to request a call with a dedicated banker, veterans and their family members can visit: commbank.com.au/veterans
