Photograph by Belinda Mason OAM 2018, inkjet on brushed aluminium 60cm x 40cm
Gaykamangu
Private
Arnhem Squadron
NORFORCE
Regional Force Surveillance Group
Australian Army
Australian Operational Service Medal – Border Protection
Defence Long Service Medal
Australian Defence Medal
“Army is my life – I will die in my uniform.”
I didn’t enlist until 1998, when I was 32 years old, and now I am 58 years old. They have offered me to go up in the ranks, but I wanted to stay a Private because I want to continue to give support to the young recruits as a Private like them rather than being a person with a higher rank.
Our role at Arnhem Squadron is to protect Australia’s land and sea from illegal activities. In our mess, we have a souvenir from one of our successes. Here is the story for you. There were three patrols going around Groote Eylandt, which means ‘big island’ in Dutch, and is in fact the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. One patrol found a carved 60cm high marker in the shape of a person on the shore. We knew it was a marker for Indonesians to know that this beach was a safe place to land and that water was nearby. Our patrol went in search of the illegal fishermen, and we found them hiding in the mangroves with the boat. We alerted Border Patrol of their presence. We perform many patrols like this so that we can protect our land and sea from illegal activities.
I was part of a small group of men doing patrols on horseback around Katherine. We would go out for ten days at a time and camp at night. My horse’s name was ‘Ray’. We formed a close bond with our horses. We march in Darwin together for the Colour Flags Party. Our mounted patrols followed in the footsteps of the famous Nackeroos (North Australia Observer Unit) under Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stanner in WW2. Their job was the same as ours – to keep watch over and protect the North of Australia. The Nackeroos had many Aboriginal soldiers and trackers with them and relied on our knowledge of Country. We carry on their tradition in NORFORCE today and proudly wear the same orange and green colour patch.
Another proud moment was when I met King Charles when he was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. He had come to visit members of the Australian Army’s Regional Force Surveillance Group, including soldiers from the North West Mobile Force (NORFORCE), at the Larrakeyah Defence Precinct in Darwin in 2018.
I have had a great career and done many things and will do many more.
