When Private Jack Hayes transitioned out of full-time service in 2017, he could not have predicted re-enlisting five years later - as a multimedia technician.
After his release, the youngest of six sons raised in Port Stephens, NSW, joined the Queensland Police Force, but it didn't have the same feel of camaraderie.
In 2021, after working in a variety of other jobs, including hotel management, bar work and finance, Private Hayes wasn't feeling the same sense of achievement he'd felt in Army and decided to rejoin Army full-time, accepting a posting at the 8th/9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (8/9RAR) in early 2022.
Despite easily fitting back into Army life, then Lance Corporal Hayes returned from a field exercise in Brisbane with a knee injury.
He had scans done on the knee in preparation for surgery, after which, the surgeon suggested he should consider a new career direction.
"I just remember the doc saying, 'You might want to rethink what you're doing,'" Private Hayes said.
He spoke to the local trade transfer warrant officer about how he could extend his career, and learnt about the role of multimedia technician (MMT).
"I picked his brain about roles that could give me good posting locations and were less tedious on the body so I could stay in Army for longer," Private Hayes said.
"He said that if I like photography I should look into MMT as a job.
"It meant going back to being a private soldier but it was worth it."
'Astrophotography is simple if you can wrap your brain around how cameras work.'
Self-taught, private Hayes had been investing in his own photography equipment for a few years by the time he began six months of training to become an MMT in mid-2023.
Only a few months into his first posting as an MMT at the Army Logistic Training Centre, Private Hayes deployed to the 2024 Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program in Amata, South Australia.
During the five-month deployment, Private Hayes used his photography, technical and creative skills to teach basic photography to community members, while producing multimedia products for the contingent.
In his spare time, Private Hayes experimented with astrophotography, capturing the night sky and stars in the Red Centre, which boasts some of the clearest night skies in the southern hemisphere.
"Astrophotography is simple if you can wrap your brain around how cameras work," Private Hayes said.
"Central Australia is great for astro because it's dark out there, with no light pollution.
"The middle of the year is also when the core of the Milky Way is most visible."
Private Hayes also embraced the opportunity to learn about the culture of the Anangu people, who have inhabited the Red Centre for thousands of years.
"I got to learn about the history of the land, the different animals, the flora and fauna during a cultural walk, where we camped out two nights and walked 39 kilometres in three days," he said.
"I took photos and videos for them.
"It's pretty good to learn about a different culture first-hand, and if I had the chance to do the same in a foreign country, I'd do that too."
