The past two years of disasters has led to more Australian soldiers working on a different kind of frontline, with a supporting role helping emergency services through bushfires, the pandemic, floods and storms, and earthquakes.
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In Ballarat, that includes members of the 8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment, and reservists helping paramedics drive ambulances, clearing debris from the massive storms that ripped through Hepburn Shire in June, and manning the phones at the Police Assistance Line, among other jobs.
Thanking them for their service in person on Tuesday was Lieutenant General Rick Burr, chief of the army, meeting about 80 or so at the Ranger Barracks in Alfredton - he said it was important to acknowledge not just the soldiers and their families, but also, in the case of reservists, their employers, for being ready for action.
"I ask a lot of them, and I want to make sure I'm doing all I can to make their life as simple and well-supported as it can be," he said.
"During the fires, of course, the logistic support and coordination to take the pressure off the frontline services - a big shoutout to our volunteer firefighters who did the really, really hard work, and it was a privilege to support them across the country - it was a really defining time for the nation, but also for the whole army to come together and support a nation in crisis.
"The COVID response, supporting health agencies and others through Brigadier Matt Burr, the local brigade commander down here, coordinating in conjunction with the state authorities - what are the priorities, where is the support needed - then we help where we can from behind."
Lieutenant General Burr said "both groups benefit" when the army lines up to support local agencies.
"We feel a lot of pride and satisfaction from that purpose of achieving something very real for your own local community," he said.
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"That's very satisfying, that helps motivate people to continue to serve and look for other opportunities more broadly, which is ultimately why they would seek to join the army - we're doing a lot of things in our own region, in the south Pacific for example, we have troops helping in Tonga and reconstruction efforts in Fiji, helping in the Solomon Islands.
"I just wanted to say thankyou for their decision to serve in uniform, to serve their nation, and thank them for the service they've been providing to their communities through the domestic support over the last two years."
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