Our People in SA
Trevor Moir - Supporting our troops
Aberfoyle Park resident, Trevor Moir, was born and bred in Adelaide and as the youngest of eight he’s used to having a few people around him.
It’s something which stands him in good stead now that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Sergeant is sharing space with more than 500 men and women of the U.S, Australian and Canadian military.
The 42-year-old is one of 38 Australian Defence Force (ADF) members onboard the USS Cleveland, an amphibious transport ship, as part of the U.S led humanitarian aid mission Pacific Partnership.
The mission aims to strengthen alliances and promote multilateral security cooperation. The ADF is participating with a mix of engineering and medical personnel including doctors, nurses, dentists and veterinarians.
After leaving Windsor Gardens High School, Trevor gained a trade in Refrigeration and Air-conditioning and worked for several years in local Adelaide businesses, including his father’s.
Looking for a change in pace, he became a patrolman with Wormald Security, which sparked a continuing interest in law enforcement. After five years with Wormald, he applied to both the South Australian Police Force and the RAAF as a Security Policemen. Although both accepted him, only the Air Force had places immediately available.
After 10 weeks at 1 Recruit Training Unit at RAAF Base Edinburgh (near Elizabeth), he undertook 20 weeks training at the RAAF Security and Fire School in Queensland. There is one weekend in particular that stands out the most for Trevor during that time.
“It was my wedding weekend. I flew down from Brisbane to Adelaide on the Friday, got married on the Saturday and flew back on the Sunday,” he said.
Trevor has been extremely lucky in his postings, spending most of his time in his home town of Adelaide. His duties have varied considerably, from general policing of military members through to counter intelligence planning and policy development.
The deployment on Pacific Partnership 2011 however is something completely different. As the senior non-commissioned officer in the Australian contingent, Trevor is responsible for the safety, well-being, morale, and discipline of all the Australian sailors, soldiers and airmen and women on the deployment.
PP11 is now in its seventh year, and partner nations continue their mission to improve the lives of people in the Pacific region, as well as improve the capacities of nations and organisations to respond to disasters through recurring opportunities for cooperation and training
“This mission has been very enjoyable. I’ve always wanted to do a Humanitarian Aid Mission,” Trevor said.
“Being able to assist the communities in a small way through community service activities such as painting local halls and working with school kids has been very rewarding.
“I’ve also been out with the veterinarians on several occasions as their Force Protection officer – seeing them in action has been eye-opening and on occasion, stomach churning!”
Trevor will leave the mission in Darwin after 10 weeks onboard and three ports - Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. He is looking forward getting back to Aberfoyle Park and to taking some time off with his wife, Karen, and children, Benjamin and Brianna.