Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the opposition to support this condolence motion for Corporal Mathew Hopkins, a brave soldier tragically killed in action while working as a member of the mentoring and reconstruction task force in Oruzgan province in Afghanistan on 16 March this year. Corporal Mathew Hopkins, known as ‘Hoppy’ to his mates, was born on 27 August 1987 in Christchurch, New Zealand, and arrived in Australia with his family in 1988. He was, sadly, the ninth Australian soldier to have lost his life during operations in Afghanistan since 2002.

Corporal Hopkins was involved in training and support alongside a unit of the Afghan National Army, assisting them to assume greater responsibility for order and security in the region. As a part of this training, Australian soldiers serve alongside these Afghan troops in operations and patrols. Corporal Hopkins was leading a patrol of Australian and Afghan troops in the Baluchi Valley, only a short distance from the Australian base in Tarin Kowt, on 16 March when the patrol faced heavy contact with the Taliban insurgents, who emerged from their winter recess with renewed attacks on coalition forces.

It was during this attack, in the face of withering small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire, the Corporal Hopkins suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Despite his evacuation, he was deceased on arrival at the field hospital. At Tarin Kowt, Australian, Afghan and other coalition troops held a moving ramp ceremony bidding farewell to a popular, professional soldier whom they admired and respected. A tribute from Defence to Corporal Mathew Hopkins states:

His mates in the 7th Battalion described him as a very professional soldier, but always a bit of a larrikin having a joke when the chips were down. Corporal Hopkins was always keen to get the job done which gave his subordinates something to emulate. He was a good leader and a good mate who would go out of his way to provide any assistance within his capacity.

Mathew was an approachable bloke with a genuine caring attitude for his soldiers. He upheld the Army values as a source of inspiration particularly courage and mateship. He was a soldier who led from the front, never from the rear and always looked out for his mates and most certainly for his soldiers. He was a keen sports player; he particularly enjoyed rugby within the Battalion and the competition within the Brigade.

As I watched the footage of the plane taking off from Tarin Kowt in the darkness as illumination rounds were fired in tribute, it certainly touched me with its solemnity.

At the ramp ceremony, the commanding officer of the mentoring and reconstruction taskforce, Lieutenant Colonel Shane Gabriel, said, ‘This hits us all hard.’ He said:

I take Mathew’s loss, as his Commanding Officer, very personally and very deeply. He was an outstanding soldier. He was extremely well known and greatly respected across the battalion and indeed across the battle group here on this operation.

One of the most difficult tasks any Defence minister or shadow minister can face is attending the repatriation ceremonies and funerals of Australian military personal who are killed in active service.

I attended the repatriation ceremony at RAAF Williamtown on 23 March and also the funeral of Corporal Hopkins at the Christchurch Cathedral in Newcastle on 27 March. It would be an understatement to say that both services touched all of those present as we shared—at least in a small sense—in the grief that Corporal Hopkins’ family and friends felt at his passing and as we shared the admiration for his dedication and service and for the great sacrifice that he has made.

At the funeral, Mathew’s mother, Bronwyn, delivered a very touching eulogy, which reflected on Mathew’s commitment to family and his desire to serve Australia through the Army. She said:

Family was everything to Mat. He lived his life full-on. He learned to run before he could hardly walk. He had a love of books and a great thirst for knowledge. Mat only ever wanted to join the Army, and when everyone else in year 12 was studying or out partying you would find Mathew reading every book you could read on Army life or out training so he could be the best possible soldier.

Corporal Mathew Hopkins joined the Army in March 2005, a young man keen to serve his country. He served with distinction on his initial deployment to Afghanistan in 2006, where his abilities and professionalism were noted, leading to his rapid advancement to the rank of corporal. He was redeployed to Afghanistan where, as a section commander, Corporal Hopkins led that fateful patrol in the protection of freedom and security. Corporal Hopkins was also a decorated soldier, having received the Australian Active Service Medal with International Coalition against Terrorism clasp, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal and the Infantry Combat Badge. It was during the ramp ceremony at Williamtown RAAF Base that Corporal Hopkins was posthumously awarded the Australian Defence Medal.

Corporal Hopkins was a member of the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, based in Darwin. There are over 1,000 troops currently serving in Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper. Those troops face a harsh climate, rough conditions and an enemy intent on creating chaos, yet our service personnel continue to demonstrate great commitment and professionalism to their duties. As always, our troops punch well above their weight.

Corporal Hopkins and his wife, Victoria, are the proud parents of a son, Alexander, who was just five weeks old when Corporal Hopkins was sadly taken from us. In a statement, Victoria said:

Mat had the most important job—he was a father to our son Alex, my husband and my best friend.

He was excited about becoming a daddy. He only got to spend 4 days with our son when he was born before he had to go back overseas. I am so glad that Mat got to meet his son and experience fatherhood.

As Malcolm Turnbull, the Leader of the Opposition, said in his speech on the condolence motion, speaking to ‘Hoppy’s’ son, Alex:

… you will know that all of us here assembled, representing the entire nation—your nation—to honour your father’s courage and to thank him for his service. We say to you, Alex Hopkins, across the years, that no son could have a finer example of strength and honour, courage and sacrifice, than the example your father has given to you, his baby son, and to all of us Australians.

There is no Australian who could not wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments so eloquently and emotionally put by Malcolm Turnbull. To Mathew’s wife, Victoria, to his son, Alexander, to his mother, Bronwyn, and father, Ricky, to his brother, Corey: our words can do so little to relieve the sense of grief and loss that you must feel and to enhance the sense of pride you would feel for the dedicated way he went about his service and for the respect his colleagues had for his abilities and his leadership. Australia today again mourns the loss of another of its brave sons. As always, Australia prays for the protection of those serving in overseas operations and acknowledges the sacrifice made by Corporal Mathew Hopkins. Lest we forget.

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