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Brendan Nikolajew - Heyfield Man's Historic Deployment In Afghanistan
Brendan Nikolajew is now a long way from Heyfield. The Army Gunner and his comrades are serving alongside British artillerymen in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Gunners like Brendan have been deploying with the British Artillery for the past three years, and this is the final rotation for the Australians.
Brendan, 19, joined the Army three years ago. In 2010, he was selected as part of a group of Australian gunners to deploy with the British 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, to Afghanistan.
The training started seven months out from the deployment date, when the Australian gunners moved to Colchester in the UK to train with their British counterparts.
“The Brits use a different gun to us so we had to train on their weapon systems. It was good to work with them and see how they operate,” Brendan said.
Brendan has been based at Forward Operating Bases in Helmand Province providing fire support to units on the ground. On a daily basis, the gunners operate the 105mm L118 light gun employed by the British Army, do sentry duties and maintain their fitness through team sports or at the gym.
“It has been a hard tour, but very rewarding. It allows me to work with some of my best mates, I keep fit — and now I can put all the training I have done into practice on operations,” Brendan said.
The former Sale Catholic College student has always enjoyed sports and was an active player in the Heyfield Football and Cricket clubs.
Brendan is looking forward to going home and introducing Sarah, his girlfriend whom he met in England, to his family back in Denison.
“My mum has been so supportive. Without her, this 14-month trip would have been a lot harder. I can’t wait to get home for a few beers and a decent BBQ,” Brendan said.