Twin brothers posted to opposite ends of Australia were reunited at the opposite end of the world on deployment in the Middle East.
The beaches of Noosa where twin brothers Flight Lieutenants Aiden and Zac Pattison grew up are a long way from the sands of Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
Work schedules and deployments often keep the brothers apart, and they haven't spent Christmas together in a few years - with Zac usually posted to RAAF Base East Sale and Aiden to RAAF Base Townsville.
Recently, Zac joined his older brother at Camp Baird to take over from him as one of the project engineers. He had actually applied for the role before Aiden.
This year they got to spend Australia Day together and celebrate with a barbecued lamb and enjoy performances from the Forces Entertainment Tour.
The twins both chose engineering as a career, with older brother Aiden joining the Air Force first and Zac following after finishing university.
Aiden focuses on expeditionary engineering, especially around airfield construction and contingency response, while Zac specialises in civil engineering and airbase operations.
Their rivalry began with Aiden arriving into the world 18 minutes before Zac.
Aiden said they are not identical twins and claimed he got the good looks and his brother got the glasses.
Zac was quick to counter he has the upper hand when it comes to Parkrun, but there isn't any solid evidence to prove this, according to Aiden.
"It was pretty cool knowing I would be taking over from my brother in the Middle East," Flight Lieutenant Zac Pattison said.
"We don't get much of a chance to catch up, so it has been great to spend time together and beat him in another Parkrun."
Together they manage a multimillion-dollar engineering infrastructure development project at the base, with an emphasis on long-term sustainability.
Headquarters Middle East provides support for all ADF operations and activities in the Middle East region. Support ranges from communications to logistics and airbase operations.
