Our People in WA
Gabriel Kicsak - Atwell Sailor Electrifies Diggers
“I play the electric bass in the Navy band, and we supported guest entertainers like Brielle Davis and Angry Anderson.
“I’ve been playing since I was 8 and I’ve been a member of the Royal Australian Navy band for the last 24 years! It’s given me the chance to perform in many locations overseas — places like Greece, the Philippines and New Zealand — but this was my first trip to the Middle East, travelling to Iraq and Afghanistan — and I was very excited.
“It’s great — I’d been volunteering for years and I finally cracked going on an entertainment tour to our forces in the Middle East!
“We’re continuing a tradition of performing for the guys and girls overseas, bringing a bit of home to them like musicians in the past in Korea and Vietnam,” he said.
Before setting off, Gabriel had the pleasure of meeting veteran entertainer Little Patty who had volunteered during the Vietnam War to entertain the soldiers and found out just what a positive impact performing for the troops is.
“I saw from her the camaraderie that’s built up between entertainers and the soldiers when performing in war zones — it’s a common bond that lasts forever.
“The tour was also an ‘eye opener’ in another way — I was amazed and impressed by the scale of the Australian operations. The size of the operation and the scale of logistics is just overwhelming. The trip took me out of my comfort zone – I loved it.”
Gabriel is one of the many performers that made up the latest Tour De Force, an entertainment extravaganza created through Force Advisory Council on Entertainment (FACE). It brought together members of the Royal Australian Navy band with Angry Anderson, Tania Zaetta, Ami Williamson, Brielle Davis, the Wolverines and comedian Fred Lang, entertaining the men and women currently serving in the Middle East.
Donating their time free of charge, Brielle and the other performers carried on a tradition that began in the World War Two, entertaining troops of all nationalities with shows that are distinctively and proudly Australian.