Shane Cox
Kamilaroi Man
Warrant Officer Class Two
Royal Australian Corps of Transport
Australian Army
East Timor and Afghanistan Veteran
Medals
Australian Active Service Medal with clasps East Timor & ICAT
International Force East Timor Medal
Afghanistan Medal
Australian Service Medal with clasp East Timor
Defence Long Service Medal with 1st clasp
Australian Defence Medal
United Nations East Timor Medal
NATO Non-Article 5 Medal with clasp ISAF
I hold two cultures close to my heart as my mum is non-Indigenous and my Dad is Indigenous. I am a Kamilaroi man, Murri people from the area which extended from around Singleton in the Hunter Valley through to the Warrumbungle Mountains in the west and up through the present-day centres of Quirindi, Gunnedah, Tamworth, Narrabri, Walgett, Moree, Lightning Ridge and Mungindi in New South Wales, to Nindigully in south-west Queensland. The Kamilaroi is one of the four largest indigenous nations in Australia. The Kamilaroi language is classified in the Pama–Nyungan family of Australian languages.
I left school at 16 years old and set off on several adventures working odd jobs around the country, ending up in far north Western Australia working as a Mechanic’s Trade Assistant for a large fishing company. At 20, I thought it was time to follow my dream to join the Australian Defence Force. So, I left my job, jumped on a bus, and headed to Perth, WA. After successfully completing the recruiting process, I enlisted into the Australian Regular Army on 24 April 1995, and upon completing recruit and initial employment training as a Rifleman, I was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Townsville. After several years and life changes, I transferred to Royal Australian Corps of Transport. The Army has given me the opportunity to travel all over Australia and the world. I have lived in many different cities and towns across Australia and abroad, including Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney, Newcastle, Puckapunyal, Malaysia, and the Middle East. Some of my most memorable achievements have been serving my country on operational deployments. These deployments have allowed me to work with other countries, including the US Army and Marine Corps, as well as the British, Canadian, and New Zealand Armies. I have been fortunate to serve my country on several Operational Deployments: INTERFET, East Timor 1999-2000 when I was a Private; Operation Citadel, East Timor 2004, as a Corporal and Sergeant; Operation Slipper, deploying to Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Kabul, Afghanistan. In 1996 and 2012, I was also lucky enough to conduct tours with Rifle Company, Butterworth, Malaysia.
I am still a serving member of the Australian Defence Force and am currently posted to Defence Force Recruiting, part of the Specialist Recruitment Team – Indigenous. Our team was established to raise and promote the awareness of careers and pathway programs within the Australian Defence Force, mentor Indigenous men and women of all ages through the recruiting process and develop their skills to become valuable members of the Australian Defence Force and potential future leaders within their community.