Our People in QLD
Cameron Atkinson - Townsville
Local Telstra technician Cameron Atkinson recently had an unusual meeting with his Brisbane-based boss John Gibbs, Executive Director of Network Construction in Telstra Operations, Brisbane.
Cameron and his boss John Gibbs met up in the Solomon Islands where Cameron got the chance to show what he and his Army Reserve colleagues had been doing for the last four months.
Cameron is a Captain in the Reserve, and he’s been part of the Australian military contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. RAMSI has been in the Solomons since 2003 when the government asked 15 other Pacific nations for help in restoring stability.
John Gibb’s visit was part of Defence’s Exercise ‘Boss Lift’ program which takes employers to visit their reservist employees on overseas operations.
John now works in Brisbane but he’s a local graduate of JCU and has spent much of his working life in Townsville. He has been supporting defence reservists within Telstra for many years at a high level.
“I really appreciated John’s visit,” said Cameron. “I was able to discuss a couple of the unclassified technical challenges I’ve been struggling with,” Cameron said.
During their visit, John and other employers attended the opening of a kindergarten named in honour of Private Jamie Clark, an Australian soldier killed while deployed on Operation ANODE in 2005.
John decided to ask fellow employers to pass the hat around when he heard the soldier’s mother, Mrs Avril Clark, talk about raising money for the kindergarten. “We gave her around $700 because it’s very worthwhile, firstly because it’s for a kindy, and secondly, because it’s to remember a fallen soldier.”
Cameron said joining the Army was the best decision he’d ever made.
I’ve now travelled all over Australia and now internationally,” he said, ”And there’s no way I would have been able to achieve what I’ve achieved educationally if it weren’t for the Army.”
“And the Solomon Islanders themselves must be the happiest and friendliest people in the Pacific.”
When Cameron returns to Townsville he is looking forward to seeing his wife Dana, watching his baby son Kellan walk, and teaching his three-year-old daughter Rylee to ride a bike.