Tasmanian Musician Crafts Guitars from Biscuit Tins for Vets

In his dimly lit garage in Tasmania, Adrian "Ace" Kitson puts the final touches on a guitar unlike any other. Made from an Anzac biscuit tin and local timber, it's one of several he's spent two years crafting to help veterans struggling with mental health.

Each guitar tells a story. One features a rifle cartridge as a whammy bar. Another uses a gun belt instead of a traditional strap. Despite their unconventional materials, these short-necked instruments actually work, producing a banjo-like sound when played acoustically.

Kitson plans to sell the guitars and donate every dollar to Open Arms, an organization offering mental health counseling to Australian veterans and their families. For him, it's deeply personal.

Thirty years ago, Kitson suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him with PTSD. He struggled to access support when he needed it most. "It kind of spurs me to do what I can to try to help," he said.

His grandfather served in the military, and Kitson has watched friends return from deployment battling invisible wounds. "I feel very sorry for a lot of veterans who returned from overseas who suffer terribly from all sorts of mental illnesses," he explained.

Sunny's Take

What makes Kitson's project so moving isn't just the craftsmanship or the cause. It's watching someone transform their own pain into something beautiful for others. He knows the guitars themselves might bring as much healing as the money they raise. "When you pass them on to someone else and you see the joy in their face when they get it, that's just priceless," he said.

One guitar won't be sold at all. Kitson is donating it to the Latrobe RSL sub-branch in honor of Edward "Teddy" Sheean VC, a local World War II hero who died at 18 defending his ship from Japanese fire in 1942. The Royal Australian Navy sailor was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross in 2020.

Jason Bloom, secretary of the Latrobe RSL, says it's the first physical donation he's received in four years. "They are awesome. He's done a superb job on them guitars," he said. "There's a lot of time put into them and hopefully we can sell a few for him."

From trauma to triumph, Kitson is proving that even the smallest acts of creativity can make a world of difference.