ADF People – CONTACT magazine

Defence family members at the Child of the ADF Medallion presentation, Hyde Park. Story by Lieutenant Marcus Middleton. Photos by Leading Seaman David Cox.

ADF People

Resilient ADF children celebrated

04/11/202504/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 343 Views 0 Comments

For a life in the ADF, sometimes the battles hardest fought are by the families on the home front. CAPTION:

From left, Lieutenant Colonel Mat Brooks, Warrant Officer Tim Duke, Captain Samuel Marsh and Captain Mark Gibbs, the Joint Explosive Ordnance Support team, during the Bravery Trust Dusk till Dawn challenge in Canberra. Story by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton. Photos by Sergeant Samuel Miller.

ADF People

Bomb suit relay pushes limits for charity

04/11/202504/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 356 Views 0 Comments Joint Explosive Ordnance Support (JEOS)

Bomb suits help protect users from explosive blast and fragmentation effects. They’re hot, heavy and not something you’d typically wear

Then-president of 30 Squadron Beaufighter Association, Bruce Robertson, during his 105th birthday celebration at Castle Hill RSL Club, NSW. Story by Corporal Jacob Joseph. Photos by Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

A long life of loyal service

04/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 328 Views 0 Comments WWII

On October 14, Bruce Robertson, a 105-year-old Air Force World War 2 veteran – who was the first to detect

Cyber warfare specialist Leading Seaman Joel Kviz while deployed to Japan for Operation Argos, working from Kadena Air Base. Story by Corporal Luke Bellman and Lieutenant Emily Tinker. Photos by Corporal Luke Bellman.

ADF ADF People Cyber Japan News

Deployed cyber specialists deliver mission assurance

31/10/202531/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 709 Views 0 Comments Cyber Command, cyber warfare, Japan, Operation Argos

Delivering ‘cyber assurance’ to Defence operations is a responsibility that requires cyber warfare specialists to work abroad, working in a

The 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games contenders, including three Navy members and veterans.

ADF People Health and Wellbeing

From Invictus to the Paralympics

29/10/202529/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 612 Views 0 Comments Invictus Games, Service Dogs

Beneath the grandeur of Admiralty House and overlooking Sydney Harbour, three Navy members and veterans stood proudly before an audience

Defence is implementing recommendation 23 of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Story by Michael Hoare.

ADF People Australian Army News Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

Service convictions to be available for police checks

29/10/202529/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 927 Views 2 Comments

From December, ADF personnel who have been convicted of a serious service offence since 2015 will have those details recorded

The Australian Military Wives Choir deliver a heartfelt performance for staff in the Russell Offices courtyard, Canberra. Story by Corporal Jacob Joseph. Photos by Nicholas Haggarty.

ADF ADF People News

Military wives united by song

28/10/202528/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 521 Views 0 Comments AMWChoir, Russell Offices

The acoustics of the Defence Headquarters courtyard at Russell Offices in Canberra may have left something to be desired, but

Nominees in the 2025 Women in Defence Awards, Petty Officer Brionee Harvey and Lieutenant Commander Shafiqah Shariff Ali, both of HMAS Brisbane. Story by Warrant Officer Caraline Enniss. Photo by Leading Seaman Danyellah Hill.

ADF People News Royal Australian Navy

Navy women recognised on the national stage

28/10/202528/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 576 Views 0 Comments HMAS Brisbane, Women in Defence Awards

When excellence is measured across the entire Defence community, it is rare for one ship to stand out twice, but

Lieutenant Kiesha Dowsett goes under in a kayak roll drill at Latchford Barracks pool. Story by Captain Krysten Clifton. Photos by Michael Banovic.

ADF People Australian Army News

Young officers learn to manage stress

28/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 465 Views 0 Comments Army School of Logistic Operations (ASLO), Bandiana

Your kayak capsizes and you are trapped. Immediately, you are hyper-aware of your breath, where your mates are, and each

Royal Australian Air Force Avionics Technicians, Leading Aircraftwoman Rosalia Frichot and Aircraftman Izaak Mazurek during Exercise Bushido Guardian 2025, Misawa Air Base, Japan. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Paris Rigney.

ADF People Japan News Royal Australian Air Force

Avionic technicians living the dream in Japan

24/10/202526/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 798 Views 0 Comments Exercise Bushido Guardian, F-35A Lightning II, Gap Year program, Japan, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, No. 3 Squadron

For two young RAAF avionic technicians, their decision to join the permanent air force after “dipping their toes” in the

Navy veteran and Invictus Games athlete Luke McCallum with the Military Police team after a rewarding day’s work. Story b y Michelle Hoare.

ADF People

Military Police dig in to help veteran

22/10/202522/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 608 Views 0 Comments Invictus, Joint Military Police Unit (JMPU), Legacy, MPs, Warrior Games

Military Police (MP) are not usually known for garden makeovers, but a local team recently pitched in on behalf of

The Air Force Balloon with Mount Panorama in the background at 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000. Story by Flying Officer Belinda Barker. Photos by Sergeant Dan Pinhorn.

ADF People Royal Australian Air Force

Dawn patrol brings quiet magic to Bathurst

21/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 793 Views 0 Comments Air Force Balloon, Bathurst 1000

Before the roar of V8 engines and smell of racing fuel filled the air for the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000,

Incoming Commanding Officer HMAS Kuttabul Captain Iain Hutchins, left, receives the weight from outgoing Commanding Officer HMAS Kuttabul Captain Rebecca Levitt at the Heritage Centre, Garden Island, Sydney. Story by By Lieutenant Hinako Shiraishi. Photos by Able Seaman Abdus Chowdhury.

ADF People Royal Australian Navy

Gravity of changing the watch

21/10/202521/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 944 Views 0 Comments HMAS Kuttabul

Commanding a Navy base is never a simple task, and for Captain Rebecca Levitt, her tenure as Commanding Officer HMAS Kuttabul has

Lieutenant Commander Travis Robinson while deployed on Operation Paladin. Story by Lieutenant Commander Jonathan White.

ADF ADF People Health and Wellbeing Middle East News

Bravery on the battlefield and beyond

14/10/202514/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 803 Views 0 Comments improvised explosive device (IED), Operation Paladin, United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)

“Lima, this is Victor … CAPTION: Lieutenant Commander Travis Robinson while deployed on Operation Paladin. Story by Lieutenant Commander Jonathan

Defence personnel conduct a climb during the rock phase of Rock and Ice at Mt Arapiles. Story by Corporal Michael Rogers. Photos by Lieutenant Sebastian Ashton.

ADF ADF People Health and Wellbeing Military Fitness News

Between a rocky and an icy place

14/10/202514/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 761 Views 0 Comments ADF Sport, Rock and Ice

When Midshipman Stephanie Hudson fell during her first rock-climbing trip, she didn’t think much of it – she just got

Major Mike Fitzpatrick, left, and his late father Keith Fitzpatrick. Story by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton.

ADF People History Lest We Forget

Three generations of military service

10/10/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 764 Views 0 Comments WWII

Of the nearly one million Australians who served in World War 2, Keith Fitzpatrick was believed to be among the

Phillip 'Monro' Preuss celebrates his century with his great-grandchildren and 1 Recruit Training Unit members, from left, Squadron Leader Shannon Monk, Wing Commander Jodie Mason, Sergeant Nick Harrison, Corporal Tahlia Stockley and Warrant Officer David Harding. Story and photos by Flying Officer Belinda Barker.

ADF People History Royal Australian Air Force

WWII veteran celebrates a century

08/10/202502/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 857 Views 0 Comments 1RTU, RAAF Wagga Wagga, WWII

Nearly 80 years after his discharge from the Royal Australian Air Force, Phillip ‘Monro’ Preuss remains a celebrated member of

Personnel from RAAF Base Richmond on the Out of the Shadows Lifeline walk. Story by Flight Lieutenant Madeleine Magee. Photos by Leading Aircraftwoman Maddison Scott.

ADF People Health and Wellbeing Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

Bringing suicide prevention Out of the Shadows

30/09/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1116 Views 0 Comments Lifeline, National Suicide Prevention Day, RAAF Richmond

Earlier this month, RAAF Base Richmond participated in Lifeline’s Out of the Shadows Walk, to remember the lives of those

The Air Force Surf Riders Association’s 2025 Festival of Surfing united 40 personnel at Seal Rocks, New South Wales. Story by Wing Commander Deanna Nott. Photos by Corporal Leigh Gammie.

ADF People Health and Wellbeing

Riding waves and building bonds

23/09/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 3181 Views 0 Comments Air Force Surf Riders Association (AFSRA)

The Air Force Surf Riders Association (AFSRA) united 40 Air Force personnel from across Australia for a week of competitive

ADF People History

Honouring the Air Force spirit

23/09/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 3384 Views 0 Comments Battle of Britain, WWII

For Wing Commander Jenny Robertson (retd), the Battle of Britain is more than a pivotal moment in history. It’s a

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