Local boy achieves high rank
LIEUTENANT Colonel Al Charry spent his high school years at Dubbo Christian School and was school captain, a fact which shows his demonstrated leadership qualities back in the mid-1990s as a student.
His career in the Australian Army, starting out as a raw recruit, has been an incredible journey which has seen him rise to high rank as he travelled to deployments and assignments across the globe.
The following is the speech he delivered to the thousands of people who turned out for both the Dawn and Morning Services in Dubbo on Anzac Day.
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GOOD Morning,
I would like to start by acknowledging and paying my respects to the traditional owners of the land upon which we meet today, the Tubbagah People of the Wiradjuri Nation.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls but most importantly to the veterans, serving members and their families here today. I would like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today on what is one of the most special days in the Australian Calendar, and this being the 107th anniversary of Anzac Day.
By way of introduction, my name is Lieutenant Colonel Alvaro Charry, I am a local boy, I grew up in Orange and came to Dubbo Christian School for my high school education, graduating in 1995. I have many fond memories of my time in Dubbo, and it is truly a great honour to come back here with my wife Skye, and give this speech 27 years later.
I joined the Australian Army as young lad straight out of high school in 1996, I served as a soldier in the 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Brisbane, where I met a young ruggedly handsome lad by the name of Bombardier Shaun ‘Narly’ Graham from Her Majesty’s Royal Australian Artillery and I tell you that because it was Shaun who got me here today.
Shaun left the Army after a distinguished
career, finishing up as a Regimental Sergeant Major and he is now a proud member of the Dubbo community. Shaun knew that I had been a graduate of the Dubbo Christian School and for many years had reached out to invite me here but it was only this year when the stars aligned and I was able to finally accept his invitation on behalf of Dubbo Sub Branch of the RSL.
I’ve served now a little over 26 years and I have had a wonderful career, from the hallways of Puckapunyal as a young recruit to the jungles of East Timor, from the desert sands of Southern Iraq to the mountain peaks of Uruzgan in Afghanistan, from the operational planning rooms of the United
States Indo-pacific Command to Government House in Canberra and everywhere in between. And I come here today at the twilight of my career to provide service once again to you in representation of the Australian Defence Force and it is about this great honour that I’d like to speak to you about today.
Anzac Day holds a very special place in my heart as I am sure it does to everyone here today, it is a day when we commemorate, we remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in conflicts past. It is also the day on which we reflect upon the freedoms which we benefit from that have derived from these great sacrifices. It is important to pay our respects to the fallen but that equally so to
pay respect to those who are still serving today, to the servicemen and servicewomen who on this very day are out there doing their jobs in representation of our country to uphold the values and ideals by which we as Australians live by. We must also remember that these sailors, soldiers, and aviators have families back home that support them and help them serve their country to do their duty and to do it with distinction. So, to all of you who have family members serving in the Australian Defence Force past and present, I salute you and I say to you thank you for your service and commitment to our nation.
Australian servicemen and servicewomen are a pretty humble bunch, I must say. I have on many occasions been thanked for my service and whilst that it is very respectful thing to say, I must admit that it always made me feel a little strange. I have been reflecting upon this sentiment quite a lot lately and I have to admit that the service that we in uniform provide is underpinned by some unselfish character traits. To wear a uniform and carry out our duty is the greatest honour one can have, in my opinion. Everywhere we go throughout the world Aussie “diggers” are easily identified and celebrated. I can attest to you that our reputation truly precedes us. A reputation that was born on the sands of Gallipoli, further forged on the battlefields of France, Belgium, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Korea, Vietnam, New Guinea, Borneo, East Timor, Afghanistan, and Iraq. That ‘can do attitude’ always punctuated with a cheeky smile and a ‘no worries mate’ is something that is renowned in every corner of the world and I say that because I have experienced it. And nothing gives me more pride to say that I have represented this country in places where I would not like to go back to.
So let me finish by saying that on this Anzac Day, I invite you to reflect upon the legacy of their sacrifice because it is only through that gift that we are able to know the freedoms that are so central to the Australian way. I thank you for the opportunity to be here and I also thank you allowing me to lead the march through town. It is something I will always cherish, and I will never forget. To those that mark this day with a beer and laugh, a bit of two up and some crown and anchor, I say go out and enjoy it! But please never forget the reason for today. Shake hands with an old digger, ask him or her about their days in service and listen to what they have to say, they will appreciate it, trust me. To those that choose to commemorate in a more personal and private way I say, thank you and your respects are appreciated and heard.
Lest We Forget.