Kapooka

But a place like the Land Command, which is what Victoria Barracks is, that is our home.

Now, a lot of the other ranks in the military, the enlisted soldiers would say that Kapooka, the regimental training battalion down there in Wagga, that's their spiritual home.

But I think right across the ranks, anybody that's ever served in a land command unit would looks at Victoria Barracks in its historic role as the home of the land commander.

And that's why General Ken Gillespie today was so well received because he was chief of general staff, which is now obviously roles now called chief of army, but he was chief of general staff and posted there and spoke with a fair bit of passion as well.

No, no, so I, you know, tried to get ready as much as I could.

Kapooka was back then, it was pretty brutal, you know, like what it is now.

It's pretty casual apparently but they didn't hold back,

you know.

Did you still feel good six weeks in, uh, to, you know, basic camp after you were doing more drilling and more route marches?

Uh, so Kapooka, it's funny.

It's not like the movies.

I actually lost fitness and because I was already coming from the past that I did it.

And there's a classic photo of, like, my mum, um, with my youngest brother in her, in her belly, and she's about to pop.

But they're at, uh, my brother's, uh, marching out parade in, in Wagga, in Kapooka.

So it sort of shows the breadth of, like, a gap between siblings.

So there's 20 years difference between youngest and oldest.

rocked up at

Kapooka and yeah, turned 18 at Kapooka.

Yeah, that was like pretty much the start.

Yeah.

... 100%.

What was it like? Um, so you would've been at, you would've been to Kapooka, obviously, to-

No, we went to Hol-

But just-

Like, you know what I mean? Like, um, yeah, like I'd, I'd developed a lot of resilience throughout sort of my childhood and my life, and I, I feel like, um, yeah, that was, that was exactly what I wanted to do, and that was where my mindset was at that point in time.

And, um, got a call pretty much saying that the, um, Kapooka intake was...

it was really fast actually, maybe like three, three weeks away.

Yeah.

I knew...

I did know how to get my hands dirty, and I was active.

I was pretty fit, so I passed all the testing pretty much straight away and, and went off to Kapooka and, and yeah, even, um, Kapooka was a, was a definitely an experience for me.

[laughs]

And was that...

I mean, you know, I've heard from so many Army veterans that I've had on, mate, where they go to Kapooka and it's the shock and awe.

What was it like when you got down there? Were you surprised or was it pretty serious and pretty strict?

Yeah, it was.

Like, you know what I mean? Like, um, yeah, like I'd, I'd developed a lot of resilience throughout sort of my childhood and my life and, uh, I feel like, um, yeah, that was, that was exactly what I wanted to do and that was where my mindset was at that point in time.

And, um, got a call pretty much saying that the, um, Kapooka intake was...

It was really fast actually.

Maybe, like, three w- three weeks away.

Well, you knew, you knew, you knew how to get your hands dirty at least, yeah.

I knew, I did know how to get my hands dirty, and I was active.

I was pretty fit, so I passed all the testing pretty much straight away and, and went off to Kapooka and, and yeah, even, um, Kapooka was a, was a definitely an experience for me.

[laughs]

Um, families say goodbye to their, their loved ones who, who head on training or overseas, and, uh, it's, it's tough.

Um, I've got a friend here in, in Perth whose husband's just gone off to Kapooka to do basic training, and it's the first time in their lives that they've been apart for an extended period of time, and it's, it's hard.

So it's great that Legacy backs our families, and I'm proud to stand with Legacy and, and offer my support as well, as should every other Australian who's, um, made a contribution.

Good on you.