15.5.13 Commendation for Gallantry

Mr HAWKE (Mitchell) (09:42
):  I rise today to praise the
efforts of Private Kyle Wilson of Castle Hill in my electorate who this year in
the Australia Day honours received a Commendation for Gallantry. This brave
22-year-old received the Commendation for Gallantry, one of only 30 awarded
over the past two decades.

This is an extraordinary story of an ordinary Australian
doing extraordinary things. Private Wilson follows in the military footsteps of
his father, uncle, brother and grandfather, who received the Order of Australia
Medal in 1983. I note that Private Wilson joined the Army at the age of 17 for
a gap year. Of course he had such a great time after he enlisted that, when the
12 months were up, he sought further military service. I put on the record at
this point my great support for the ADF gap year program. I was disappointed to
see its cessation in the 2012-13 budget.

Private Wilson is exactly the kind of person who had the
experience at 17 to go on and do great things. His citation for gallantry
reads:

For acts of gallantry in
action on 7 September 2011 while deployed on Operation Slipper as a member of
Mentoring Task Force 3 in Afghanistan. While attempting to apprehend a
withdrawing insurgent commander Private Wilson and a fellow soldier came under
intense plunging fire from an insurgent force numbering three to five on their
southern flank as well as fire from their quarry. Despite facing extreme
personal danger Private Wilson and the other soldier advanced over 100 metres
with no cover, concealment or friendly suppressive fire to close with and
neutralise the insurgent commander. Their actions also drew fire away from the
remainder of their section enabling them to reposition and engage more fully in
the battle.

It is a fairly dry sort of citation but the true heroism of
these young men is that they put their lives on the line for their friends and
for the rest of their section without regard for their own personal safety and
without regard for anything but the survival of their mates.

Reading the full explanation of their story in the Australian
Army newspaper is a worthwhile exposition. Private Wilson said that with
the adrenalin pumping through his veins he really did not think about the
danger until he saw the rounds falling around his feet. He looked straight over
to his mate. He saw him 'with the rounds falling all around us' and he knew
instinctively that it was time to take action. His training kicked in and he
did not take any regard for his own personal safety.

It is an amazing story of heroism. Just like all of our service
personnel, young men and women, he does extraordinary things every day. Kyle
Wilson is now back in Castle Hill, running his own business. He is a personal
trainer at CrossFit Gym—something I know all members of this place could
benefit from—and he is doing a great job re-integrating into our community in
his own business. I congratulate him and his friends on his extraordinary
service in Afghanistan and on behalf of this parliament welcome this great
award of a Commendation of Gallantry.