Garth O’Connell
Gomeroi
Corporal
Royal Australian Infantry Corps
Australian Army
Medals
Australian Service Medal with clasp Solomon Islands 11
Defence Long Service Medal
Australian Defence Medal
I was born in inner city Sydney, raised and educated in Redfern, Moree and South-West Sydney. In 1995, I joined the Royal Australian Infantry, becoming the 4th successive generation of family to serve in the army. Whilst in the infantry, I specialised as a Direct Fire Support Weapons Team Leader and I have deployed on Peacekeeping operations to the Solomon Islands, the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Security Team and to Malaysia and Singapore.
In 1999, my childhood dream came true when I completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Cultural Heritage Management and I am now working full time at the Australian War Memorial as a Curator with the Military Heraldry and Technology section. I am tremendously proud of my cross-cultural family roots in County Tipperary and the Gamilaraay people of North Western NSW. Outside of the AWM, guess what – my research interests are the service history of Indigenous Australians in the Australian Defence Force during the Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942 – 43. But I have another research interest – the Vancouver Canucks ice hockey team.