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Insights
Coming together to honour our veterans on ANZAC Day
This Sunday we will come together, in person and in spirit, to commemorate the men and women who have served our nation in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.
At Aurizon, we are proud to have among our ranks many employees who have served in the Defence Force before transitioning to a civilian career with Aurizon.
Dave is an ex-veteran who joined Aurizon over three years ago and is currently performing in the role of Program Manager - Decarbonisation. In 2020, Aurizon released its Climate Strategy and Action Plan with a target of achieving net-zero operational emissions by 2050. Dave is responsible for the delivery of the initiatives being developed under the decarbonisation pillar.
In Dave’s case, his trade in the military had little equivalency to civilian employment and he completed a degree in Business Management to progress his career. Despite this, he still believes there are many transferable skills that help him every day in his current role. These include leadership, teamwork, time-management and decision making, all which he experienced during his time in the Army. With his background in logistics and armed with a formal qualification, he naturally steered to employment in the transport industry.
At Aurizon we recognize that veterans bring a variety of skills and experience veterans to our Company, so in 2019 we signed the Prime Minister’s Veteran’s Employment Commitment to demonstrate our ongoing support in employing veterans at Aurizon.
While not all qualifications are transferable and extra study may need to be undertaken, Dave still believes there are a multitude of jobs within the Rail industry which could be suitable for ex-military. He urges those considering the change to reach out to people within the industry for advice.
As we mark ANZAC Day this Sunday, Dave shared what the day means to him.
Dave Barry, ex-Australian Army
“ANZAC Day can mean different things for many but for me it is about appreciation. With our busy lives we very rarely stop to appreciate what we have and what was given for us to enjoy what we currently have.
“Australia is such an amazing place where we get to choose how our lives are lived and our basic standard of living is one of the highest in the world. That didn’t happen by default. A lot of servicemen and women worked hard to protect our way of life with many losing their lives in the process.
“For many of those that have served, their sacrifices don’t end there. Many of the people I have served with now suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This can result in marriage breakups, alcoholism, depression and/or suicide. ANZAC Day is especially important to those people to remind them that they are appreciated for what they have done, even if only for one day. It makes the world of difference.”
“ANZAC Day can mean different things for many but for me it is about appreciation. With our busy lives we very rarely stop to appreciate what we have and what was given for us to enjoy what we currently have.
“Australia is such an amazing place where we get to choose how our lives are lived and our basic standard of living is one of the highest in the world. That didn’t happen by default. A lot of servicemen and women worked hard to protect our way of life with many losing their lives in the process.
“For many of those that have served, their sacrifices don’t end there. Many of the people I have served with now suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This can result in marriage breakups, alcoholism, depression and/or suicide. ANZAC Day is especially important to those people to remind them that they are appreciated for what they have done, even if only for one day. It makes the world of difference.”