Our People in SA
William Barry - SOLOMON ISLANDS CALL FOR SALISBURY LIFESAVER
As a surf lifesaver he is used to patrolling Kirra Beach, but for the next four months he will be wearing Army camouflage and on patrol in the Solomon Islands as an Army Reservist with Brisbane’s 9th Battalion, The Royal Queensland Regiment (9RQR).
Now a Corporal, William is amongst over 100 personnel from Army Reserve units across Queensland and Victoria now in the Solomon Islands as a part of Operation Anode, Australia’s contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
William has left behind his friends and family to lead a small group of soldiers as an infantry section commander, in charge of nine other Reserve soldiers.
This will be William’s fourth overseas deployment, after two previous trips to the Solomon Islands on Operation Anode in 2005 and 2007 and a four month deployment to Rifle Company Butterworth in Malaysia in 2002.
“My grandfather served in World War 1 and my father was a National Service member.
“As a young Army cadet at Brisbane State High School, I loved annual camps, the bivouacs, and the range shoots plus the school had a cadet rifle shooting team,” he said. “I always intended to leave school and join the Army but instead I became an apprentice technician with hat was then Telecom.
“I’m looking forward to another opportunity to do my job with the Army Reserve,’ he said.
A Reservist since 1983, William also enjoys the chance to train up the next generation of citizen-soldiers.
“I instructed Cadets in the field during the annual cadet camp at Wide Bay which was really rewarding because cadets are so eager to learn,” he said.
William is one of Australia’s 41,500 Reservists, who make up about 42 per cent of the ADF strength. They bring their own civilian skills and experience and in return get the opportunity to gain and practice new skills as part of their Reserve training.
All Reservists are volunteers and have to volunteer again to serve overseas. In recent years Australian Reservists have provided humanitarian relief to tsunami and earthquake victims in our region, and operations in the Solomon Islands, the Middle East and elsewhere. They have served alongside their full-time counterparts in peace missions to Timor Leste and Bougainville and a Reserve rifle company is regularly deployed to Malaysia as part of Australia's commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangement.
Back in Australia, Reservists have assisted civilian police in roles such as venue search and vehicle checkpoints at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the 2003 Rugby World Cup. They also provide much-needed assistance in times of natural disasters such as floods, droughts and fires and in emergency rescue operations.