Our People in VIC
Brad Maher - Mechanic’s Middle East Menagerie
Thses days Brad is normally based in Darwin but now he is looking after the fleet of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAVs) used by the Army in Baghdad. He’s part-way through a six month deployment to Security Detachment Baghdad whose job is to has safeguard the mobility and security of Australian Embassy and Government staff in the Iraqi capital.
The ASLAVs Brad maintains are integral to that task.
Now a father of two-year old Callum, married to Cathy and promoted to Corporal, Brad has managed to maintain close ties to the Dandenong area where he through his parents Lyn and Warren.
“I still have fond memories from back home,” he said. “The early skills I developed during my apprenticeship stood by me when I joined the Army.
“It’s nice to know there are people back home who have taken an interest in what I’m doing over here in Iraq. I look forward to going home to see friends and family after my deployment.”
One of the biggest challenges Brad faces in Baghdad is working in temperatures of more than 40 degrees inside a workshop set-up in a large tent. The hours aren’t 9-to-5 either. On one job, Brad and his crew worked 27 hours non-stop to replace an ASLAV engine and transmission so it was ready to conduct a mission on time.
“It’s a lot harder working over here than at home,” Brad said. “We have a limited amount of equipment and the workspace is more cramped and exposed. Even though Darwin is hot, here the sand and the heat are really testing.”
Brad, like everyone at SECDET, is a soldier first. Sometimes he must be both soldier and a tradesman, like when an ASLAV broke down outside the security of the International Zone.
“There I was fixing one of the ASLAVs with the infantry guys surrounding me and the vehicle in a defensive position. We were all pretty happy when the job was done and we were out of there!”
This is Brad’s second overseas deployment. He previously served in East Timor. But after missing some significant family events such as birthdays and Mother’s Day, Brad is looking forward most to a holiday with Cathy and Callum when he returns home later in the year.