Trooper Lloyd McLauchlan knew he was going to learn a lot participating in Exercise Austral Shield, but didn't know it would also take him back to the town of his childhood.
Trooper McLauchlan, who is posted to B Squadron as part of Perth's 10th Light Horse Regiment, deployed with more than 300 other WA-based soldiers to RAAF Base Curtin just outside of Derby, Western Australia, this month for Exercise Austral Shield - a complex integrated training activity designed to test the ADF's ability to project force from its northern bases.
He spent some of his formative years growing up and attending school in the small WA town.
After returning from a patrol, Trooper McLauchlan took some time out to visit students at Derby District High School to talk to them about life as an Army reservist.
"I went to school for a few years here in Derby and so it was very special for me to be back in town with the Army and to be able to share some of my experiences with the kids," Trooper McLauchlan said.
"My family and I spent three years in Derby from when I was about seven years old. I have some great memories of my time there, especially the tuck shop where they used to freeze everything because it was so hot.
"The training on Austral Shield has been great, and I've learned a lot, but to visit my old school and meet the kids is a memory that will stay with me for a long time."
Trooper McLauchlan is an architectural designer in his civilian role and joined the Army Reserves in 2022 as a cavalry scout.
'Those stories don't compare to having a soldier come to visit in full field kit and tell the kids all about a major training exercise that is happening in their town.'
Derby District High School principal Elliot Money, a reservist with North-West Mobile Force, said the Army visiting the school was a big highlight for the students.
"I tell the kids all about my Army adventures, but those stories don't compare to having a soldier come to visit in full field kit and tell the kids all about a major training exercise that is happening in their town," Mr Money said.
"To see the smiles on the faces of the kids tells you everything you need to know about what they thought of meeting Lloyd and hearing about Austral Shield."
The trip down memory lane was made complete for Trooper McLauchlan when he bumped into one of his Derby District High School classmates, Patricia Juboy, while grabbing a coffee from Rusty's Bakeshop.
"Derby isn't a massive place, but to bump into someone who I was in the same class with, that was pretty cool, and we got to share some memories about our teachers," Trooper McLauchlan said.
Ms Juboy said it was a great surprise to see Trooper McLauchlan, who she described as one of her jimardis, an affectionate term used in the traditional local dialect to describe someone with whom you grew up.
The WA component of Exercise Austral Shield runs until July 28 in Derby and at RAAF Base Curtin, involving more than 300 troops and almost 100 vehicles, largely from Perth's 13th Brigade.
