Army officer
Nick Henderson
The stereotype of the tough, gung-ho Australian Army officer couldn’t be further from the truth in many cases. There are many different people in the service with a wide variety of interests.
“I was not the cool, footballer-type at school at all,” Captain Derrek Lush, a graduate of Royal Military College (RMC), Duntroon, says.
While he considers the people he works with in the army to be “really great guys”, it has not stopped them giving him a hard time about his latest hobby, ballroom dancing.
For the 26-year-old infantry officer, that’s one of the good things about going through the 18-month officer course at RMC — you don’t have to fit a particular stereotype or possess specific skills to succeed. Working as an infantry adviser/liaison officer with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation has taken Capt Lush back home to South Australia.
After several years working in the field in infantry units, including a deployment to East Timor, Capt Lush says he is now doing a job he never expected to do — advising scientific staff on practical aspects of land operations and how soldiers operate in the field.
He is also involved in testing new equipment, such as the ergonomics of new packs or webbing being developed for the army. “I guess I’m the translator between the scientists and the soldiers in the field who have to use the stuff,” he says.
As a school-leaver in Kapunda, north of Adelaide, in 1996, Lush enrolled in an engineering degree. His parents encouraged him not to rush into anything and he ended up deferring study and worked at a Barossa distillery for 2 1/2 years.
“I’d always been interested in the army and I was lucky enough to have done the right subjects and got the grades to get into RMC,” he says. He describes the course as a great experience, despite some of the less comfortable aspects.
“Living under a bit of plastic, in the freezing cold, when you haven’t eaten for two days, isn’t much fun, I’ll admit, but the course gives you so many options,” he says.
“Even if you don’t see yourself having a lifelong career in the army, the qualifications and leadership experience you get through RMC are invaluable for anything else you might want to do.”
In 2004, after being promoted to captain, he was posted to Keswick Barracks, Adelaide, and assumed his present position at the start of this year. He is now studying, which is partly funded by the army.
In the long-term, Capt Lush says he would like to end up commanding an infantry battalion.”
“Not everyone aspires to be the next chief of the defence force,” he says. “But the good thing is the army supports you to do what you want to do and you’re getting feedback on your performance all the time.”
How to be …
an army officer
You usually have to complete your HSC with passes in English and three other units, preferably maths and a science unit. Contact the Australian Defence Force Recruiting Centre on 131901 or www.defencejobs.gov.au
