{"id":234086,"date":"2019-04-28T20:29:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-28T10:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=234086"},"modified":"2020-07-21T11:18:41","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T01:18:41","slug":"new-face-of-australias-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/04\/28\/new-face-of-australias-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"New Face Of Australia’s Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Guest speaker Trudi Lines, who was deployed twice to Afghanistan, proudly shows the gold medal she won with the wheelchair rugby team at the Invictus Games in Sydney … she is being applauded by South Burnett Deputy Mayor Kathy Duff, Cherbourg Mayor Arnold Murray and Murgon RSL Sub-Branch president Trevor Williamson OAM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 27, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The guest speaker at Murgon’s Anzac Day commemoration shared how she came under fire while deployed in Afghanistan, even though she was not in a combat role.<\/p>\n

Trudi Lines told the crowd that nine mortar shells landed nearby, thankfully “they were atrocious with their accuracy”.<\/p>\n

A new generation of war veterans are appearing at military commemorations throughout Queensland … men and women who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and on dangerous “peace-keeping” missions in places as far apart as East Timor, Bougainville and Rwanda.<\/p>\n

To emphasise this, two veterans from Afghanistan carried the flags at the head of the Murgon parade.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trudi – possibly the first women to be invited as a guest speaker at the Murgon service – said she had been deployed twice to Afghanistan in an RAAF logistics role.<\/p>\n

She comes from a military family. Her grandfather was a\u00a0RAAF bomber pilot during WWII and her grandmother served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).<\/p>\n

One of her proudest moments was to have marched with her grandfather in an Anzac Day Parade, and then sharing a beer afterwards.<\/p>\n

Trudi was responsible for cargo loading and unloading in the RAAF, including the “ramp” ceremonies for deceased soldiers.<\/p>\n

It was while dealing with cargo that she came under fire, with the shells landing behind the aircraft.<\/p>\n

She was deployed to Afghanistan again in 2010, but by this time she had “become a different person”.<\/p>\n

In 2011, Trudi transferred to the role of electrician and was the first female in the RAAF to be trained in that role.<\/p>\n

“I was proud to be part of a defence force that recognised the abilities of women,” she said.<\/p>\n

She worked in humanitarian missions to Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Thailand and East Timor.<\/p>\n

Trudi received a medical discharge in 2017 after being diagnosed with physical injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n

Since then, sport had helped her mental and physical health.<\/p>\n

Last year she took part in the Invictus Games in Sydney in wheelchair tennis and wheelchair rugby, and won a gold medal!<\/p>\n

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Three veterans led the Murgon parade and then stood at the foot of the Monument<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Josephine Kemp sang the NZ anthem, “God Defend New Zealand”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Emily Kinsella sang the Australian anthem, “Advance Australia Fair”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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The Murgon State High School band played the musical accompaniment to the National Anthems and hymns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Richie O’Neill compered the Murgon commemoration<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Pastor Glenn Vonhoff performed the scripture reading<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Soldiers from the 26th Transport Squadron at Amberley provided the catafalque party for both the Cherbourg and Murgon Anzac Day commemorations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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More Photos From Murgon<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Anzac Day can be a deeply emotional time for Australia\u2019s veterans and their families and some may find this time of year difficult.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Department of Veterans Affairs has advised there are specialised counselling services and resources available.<\/p>\n