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Troy Cornell - Mid-Life Crisis For Deployed Diggers

To ease the pressures of their East Timor deployment, Shepparton soldier Corporal Troy Cornell, 39, and his mate Craftsman Mike Thorne, also 39, from Townsville, have formed a group to play away the stresses of overseas duty.

A 'jam' at their makeshift studio, which is also their office in Dili, helps unwind after a hard day’s work maintaining the fleet of military vehicles, which range from Landrovers to Unimogs and Mack trucks.

And what is the name the two 39-year-olds have selected for their band? Mid-Life Crisis, of course.

Soldiers like Troy and Mike are members of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and they are not often in the limelight — but they are every bit as critical to the success of operations as front line infantry.

Troy, Mike and a thousand other Diggers are currently serving in Timor-Leste. Their mission is to assist the Timor-Leste Government and the United Nations to bring stability, security and confidence to the Timorese people, so they can resolve their differences democratically and peacefully.