Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Lest we forget.

There is absolutely no doubt that we live in the best country in the world, and that our country needs defending. Our borders and our interests, now more than ever, require young men and women to stand in defence of Australia every day. I'm grateful for the work that they do and I'm grateful that not all Australians have to feel the rigours of what they go through, and the scars that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

The word 'invictus' means unconquered, and in May this year a team of 32 defence personnel and veterans will head to The Hague to represent Australia in the Invictus Games 2020. Today I rise to congratulate Mr Peter Brown on being selected in the Australian team. Peter lives in my electorate of Braddon. He is a father of five and the principal of Boat Harbour Primary School. Peter joined the Australian Regular Army in 1996 as an infantryman, and served until 2002. During his time in the ADF, he thrived on training, discipline and routine, and on discharge he knew that his service had provided him with the skill set that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Peter's personal assessment of his military service is a message that I've spoken about many times in this place. If you're a business out there in Australia, then consider employing a veteran; they're good for your business. They bring with them a diversity of skills and qualities which are difficult to match. Ten months ago Peter had his left leg amputated below the knee. He sees this, however, as a big step forward—to quote him, 'A move that will let him get on with the rest of his life.' After years of battling his injuries, the journey of having his leg amputated was not one that he protected his students at Boat Harbour Primary School from. His hope is that they will realise that life goes on, that you can live a happy life even when faced with significant challenges.

This week, students from Mr David Groenewege's grade 5 and 6 class from Boat Harbour Primary School are spending the week in Canberra, and will be in Parliament House on Friday. I visited these kids recently in their classroom, and spent the afternoon with them. They're a great bunch of kids and I can see that they're very pumped on parliament.

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