QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

42 for 42

Left ■ An artist’s impression of the proposed memorial to the fallen service personnel. Below left ■ Sean Mulqueen led the 2016 challenge at Suncorp Stadium with his backpack weighing 42 commemorative kilograms. Below ■ Media call before the event with Sean taking questions.

“That trip to Afghanistan was really bad. We lost 10 blokes in three months, but at the same time I knew when I was over there that I wanted to move into a medical career where I could help people. “The turning point for me was when we were sending off two of my mates at a ramp ceremony. Just as their coffins were being placed on the plane, a helicopter landed with another Australian solider who had been shot and killed.” Tom said he hasn’t looked back since joining QAS in 2011 after returning home from Afghanistan. “The main reason I chose to become a paramedic is because it has a huge sense of purpose and real meaning,’’ he said. “This role is so important and I love being able to help people.” As if his paramedic and charity commitments aren’t time consuming enough, Tom is busy studying for his masters at university so he can apply to become a CCP. He is also renovating the home he shares with his paramedic wife Beth, who is based at Eatons Hill Station.

Thankfully, Robert made it home alive and Tom, who was extremely close to his late grandfather, is reminded daily of his ‘hero’ whose image is tattooed on his right shoulder. While Tom was overseas, the combat first aid trained officer said he encountered many casualties – both civilian and military. “In Afghanistan, I saw a lot of trauma but that was where I also discovered that I had a knack for treating people,” he said. His last trip to Afghanistan had a huge impact on him and it was when he decided that he wanted to pursue paramedicine.

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Background ■ School is out for these kids in the Afghan countryside, the barren beauty of this image evoking a little of the community capacity-building and peacekeeping efforts by Australian forces in Uruzgan and other provinces – but a horrific fate may be only one footstep away for the photographer …

The inaugural 42 for 42 Challenge in 2016 raised $30,000, half of which was donated to Legacy.

Photo: Adobe Stock / Michalkintl

Summer 2017–18