Lockyer Valley 2022 floods: Gatton local returns with Australian Army to help flood clean up efforts

When Lance Corporal Damian Day joined the Army in 2016, he never expected to be back in his hometown of Gatton helping the community recover from devastating floods.

A fall in meat prices saw former Gatton man Damian Day join the Australian Army, and this year’s major flooding disaster has brought him home in uniform.

The Lance Corporal is now an armoured crewman with the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment and is part of a deployment of about 70 soldiers who have set up in Gatton to help the recovery efforts throughout the Lockyer Valley as part of Operation Flood Assist 2022.

While he wanted to join the army when leaving school, he completed a painting apprenticeship,which he did throughout the Lockyer Valley. He also worked at the meatworks at Grantham for five years.

However, when the price of meat plummeted during the drought in 2016, he decided to act on his childhood dream.

Australian Army soldier Lance Corporal Damian Day from 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) returned to his hometown of Gatton, Queensland, to assist with flood recovery as part of Operation Flood Assist 2022. Photo: ADF.

With his mum and dad still living on the farm in nearby Laidley, Lance Corporal Day said he was more than happy to help this strong rural community and the people he grew up with get back on their feet.

“The camaraderie we have in the army in many ways reminds me of the good times I had growing up in and around Gatton,” he said.

“I always love coming back, so to give back to the community as part of Operation Flood Assist is very special for me.

“I’ve already bumped into a few guys I know, and I expect I’ll connect with a few more over the next week or so, and they really appreciate that the army is here to help.”

Lance Corporal Day is one of a number of drivers who can take the regiment’s Bushmaster and Hawkei protected military vehicles (PMVs) and MAN 40 trucks into areas not easily accessible by regular vehicles.

The vehicles allow the regiment to bring stores, equipment and personnel into cut-off areas and to help council remove debris and rubbish from houses and businesses impacted by the floods.

Australian Army soldiers from 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) clear and proved a route for State Emergency Services in Gatton, Queensland, as part of Operation Flood Assist 2022. Photo: ADF.

Lance Corporal Day went to nearby Laidley State High School, where his mum still teaches, he was also a regular in the Gatton Hawks rugby league team from Under 13s onwards.

Troop leader Lieutenant Brook Jennings said the response from the time they arrived in a convey of vehicles from Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane to setting out in into the wider Gatton community has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Some of the houses here have been completely underwater but everyone just stops to say thanks and the cars drive by and shout their support, so it’s like everyone is just thankful we’re here,” Lieutenant Jennings said.

Australian Army soldiers from 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) assist the local community of Gatton, Queensland with removing flood-damaged belongings, as part of Operation Flood Assist 2022.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Tanya Milligan confirmed the town had received a lift when the Army responded to its call for assistance.

“When we told people that the ADF was coming, there was a lift in people’s spirits. You can never underestimate the visual – that presence of the army in town – in giving people hope,” she said.

The “army mum” mayor has a son who was previously with 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), and she also noted that Defence helped out in one of the town’s worst floods back in 2011.

“The Army helped us back in 2011 and we remember that, so this town has a real thing for the ADF,” Mayor Milligan said.