Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with a very and genuinely heavy heart that I speak to give the condolences of the people of Flinders to the family of Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze. Jordan was 22 years of age when he passed away on 11 October. It was after a vehicle accident on the Holsworthy range on 8 October. His family lives in not just the electorate of Flinders but my hometown. His mother, Kathleen, and his father, Daryl, and his grandmother, Shirley Blundell. I know from one of Jordan's close schoolfriends, Riley Gay, who works in my office, that the family has obviously been devastated and deeply affected by this loss. Riley himself was a close personal friend of Jordan's, and much of what I know about Jordan, who, as I say, grew up on the Mornington Peninsula, comes from Riley.

Sapper Penpraze enlisted in the regular Army on 3 April this year, and he completed his initial recruit training. He commenced his Royal Australian Engineer Initial Employment Training on 11 July. He was training to do some of the toughest things that Australian soldiers can do. Jordan had always dreamed of following in his grandfather's footsteps to join the Army and to become a combat engineer. He was due to graduate and, as I am advised, was living his dream. He was born at Mornington on 15 August 1990. He was a young man. Prior to enlisting in the Army, he lived with his family in Mount Martha and worked with his father. He was educated just down the road at Dromana Secondary College, where he made lifelong friendships and met his partner, Jacinta, with whom he remained until his death. Jacinta, we pass on our deep awareness of the sadness you must be facing.

Jordan enjoyed spending time with Jacinta, with whom he had been for four years. Jordan's partner, Jacinta, said that she and Jordan were planning to move to Townsville together after his graduation. He enjoyed his time in the outdoors. He was an outdoors man, with hobbies that included baseball, scuba diving and motorbike riding. He had a keen interest in technology and computers. His was the youth of a young man on the Mornington Peninsula who enjoyed life, who lived life and who was being his best self.

Most importantly, he looked out for his family and his friends. His quality as a person is exemplified by a very significant event in Sydney while on local leave in Liverpool. Sapper Penpraze and another soldier successfully resuscitated an elderly citizen. Jordan remained with the elderly citizen, maintaining CPR until the ambulance arrived. That was an act of great confidence and great generosity. He had a deep sense of purpose about his role. Although he knew of the dangers, he aspired to become a sapper and to defend Australia. As we know from the latest tragic events in Afghanistan reported just today in the House, this is the most dangerous of occupations; the most confronting of occupations. These are the people who keep our special forces troops safe; that is, they watch the watchers. They keep safe those who keep safe.

He had a deep respect for Australia, for the Australian flag and for Australia Day. He took enormous pride in his country. Jordan was a well-liked and well-respected member of No. 3 Troop. As in all other aspects of his life, he held this stoic determination to achieve what he had set out to do and was constantly involved in self-improvement. That is the story from Riley and from those who knew him.

He excelled at watermanship. He demonstrated the appreciation of watercraft he gained from years spent on the bay at Mount Martha with his family and in his training, he took on a leadership role in this element of his course. Jordan's motto was: 'Do what you want to do and be what you want to be.' He lived this motto as he overcame many obstacles to achieve his goal of becoming a sapper. He was a young man, but he was a wonderfully successful young man. He was training to be an even better young man, serving Australia in the most significant, important, dangerous and courageous of tasks.

Jordan spread his optimism to his partner and to his siblings. He gave them support when they needed it and he encouraged them never to give up. Today, as Kathleen, Daryl, his siblings, and his grandmother Shirley Blundell are all feeling his loss, there is nothing that can replace the gap—there is nothing that can fill that hole. We simply say to you, on behalf of everybody else in Australia, that Jordan was one of so many young soldiers who help to protect us and his story, sadly, has come to pass all too early. We grieve with you, we thank you and we offer you our deepest support.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the words of my colleague, the member for Flinders, who has acknowledged and detailed the concern and the feelings of the general community in Flinders for the loss of a proud son. Certainly, our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers go out to Daryl and Kathleen Penpraze, and of course to his younger brothers, the twins Dan and Jesse, aged 17, and sister Lily, aged 15, and to his girlfriend, the lady who he was in a relationship with, Jacinta Thomas. They will all be trying to come to grips with this loss of a dear and beloved member of their community and their family.

Certainly, they should take pride in the fact that this young man was a high achiever. He had already taken on a challenge that many Australian citizens would shirk at—would blink at, would not be up to or would simply not be interested in because it involves such a hard task, such physical challenges and such risks—just the process of being in a position to wear the proud uniform of the Australian Army and the proud lanyard of the engineers: the black lanyard.

Certainly there is a lot of focus on the casualties that occur in Afghanistan—as there rightly should be—but becoming a member of the Australian Defence Force and acquiring the competencies that are necessary to achieve your professional proficiency carries with it great risk at all times. You strive always to minimise those risks but there is a limit to how much you can do to achieve that. We must prepare our people for the harshest of conditions. We must enable them to survive in the harshest of conditions and to succeed in the nation's endeavours in uniform in combat operations and in some of the most challenging environments on the planet. It would be negligent if we were not trying to make their training and development as realistic as possible while at the same time trying to get the balance of safety right in delivering that professional competency.

Certainly Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze was a high achiever in getting through the difficult training at Kapooka and through his initial employment training as an engineer at the School of Military Engineering in Holdfast Troop—'Holdfast' being the call sign of the engineers. As has been outlined by the member for Flinders, not only was he a high achiever in the courses he conducted as an engineer and through Kapooka but obviously he was someone with a high sense of community commitment and community service, as was evidenced by his rescuing of the elderly citizen. He was able to maintain his skills in first aid. The CPR that was applied actually saved the life of that elderly citizen. We have seen lots of evidence of the capability and achievements of this young man who was community minded. At the service were broader members of the community and the nation at large.

Training is risky. We do lose people. People do suffer injuries. I think about 1,400 incidents and injuries occurred in the last financial year. I saw many of these circumstances through my own career. I have been involved in the aftermath of them and investigations of vehicles that have turned over and helicopters that have crashed—we lost many members in some of those occurrences. Live-firing ranges by their very nature are enormously risky. Over time we have had incidences at pistol ranges, rifle ranges, grenade ranges and the like. I think it is not well appreciated just how many risks there are and how dangerous the very act of being in uniform is for a member of the Defence Force.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to not only Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze but also his brothers and sisters of the engineers of the black lanyard fraternity. We should highlight their service at the present time. At probably no other time in history have we relied so much on the engineers to deliver national interests. The engineers have been very hard at work in the north of Australia delivering outcomes and betterment to Indigenous communities. They have been heavily engaged up there. They have also been hard at work in preparing facilities on Nauru and Manus islands in relation to our asylum seeker challenge. As we all well know and we reflected upon this morning in the chamber, they are heavily engaged in combat operations and in the delivery of national objectives in Afghanistan. The risks involved in delivering that outcome have been well canvassed.

They put themselves in harm's way above all others in delivering a safe operating environment for those who follow in their footsteps. It would have been highly likely that Sapper Penpraze would have ended up in the ongoing operations in Afghanistan in the not too distant future. Our engineers are also playing a very significant role in the planning for the draw down of our operations in Afghanistan and will be heavily involved in the execution of that draw down. We rely very heavily in this country on both our construction engineers and our combat engineers, who are second to none in this world in terms of their professionalism, proficiency and courage and what they deliver in terms of outcomes to this nation. I do not think the full story of what they have done, both domestically and in the broader range of national interests that they have been serving, has yet been told or acknowledged.

Today I salute Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze. My heart goes out to his family and we offer our condolences to all those members that I listed. I also acknowledge the wonderful men and women who serve us in the Royal Australian Engineers of the Australian Army.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to associate myself with the remarks of the parliamentary secretary and the member for Flinders. It is indeed a very sad duty to stand in this place to speak on a condolence motion for yet another soldier who has died.

Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze was prepared to risk his life for his countrymen. This was evident when he joined the armed forces. Sapper Penpraze had only recently enlisted in the Army and completed his Army recruiting training course. He had just embarked on his initial employment training in the engineers. It has been said that Sapper Penpraze had already committed himself to a lifelong career in the Army, with aspirations of reaching the highest ranks. Tragically, this will not be the case.

During a training exercise a truck overturned, injuring 18 soldiers. Sapper Penpraze sustained critical injuries and was transferred to Liverpool Hospital; however, his condition, sadly, did not improve. When it became apparent that Sapper Penpraze would not recover from his injuries, in what must be the most painstaking and difficult decision any family must make, they made the decision to take him off life support. At only 22, his is a life cut short in its prime, another dedicated soldier lost.

Our nation stands as one as we remember Sapper Penpraze. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family as they console each other in their time of tragedy. We respect their privacy, as they have wished, and let them know here today that the whole nation owes them a debt of gratitude for the sacrifice their family has made.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects to Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze in this condolence motion and follow the passionate speeches of my colleagues the member for Higgins and the member for Flinders. Sapper Penpraze was born in Mornington on 15 August 1990. He was educated at Dromana Secondary College. He enlisted in the Army only in April this year. He tragically died in a vehicle accident at the Holsworthy range. He was one of 18 members from the Army school of engineering who was injured in that terrible accident.

Sapper Penpraze was training to be a combat engineer. He was only 22 years old and he had completed the Army recruit course at Kapooka. In the statement issued by the Australian Defence Force about Sapper Penpraze they said he was well liked, he was well respected and he had a demonstrated commitment to helping others. In their words, they saw him complete his work with no reservations or complaints. He would rather take the hard job or the heavy load to spare a mate that was doing it tough. According to Chaplain Michael Pocklington, Jordan's motto was 'do what you want to do and be what you want to be'. Sapper Penpraze's life is a testament to this motto.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, particularly his mother, Kathleen, his father, Daryl and his partner of the last four years, Jacinta. He never had a chance to live his life to the fullest. But by enlisting in the Australian Army and giving his life in this way, we know that Sapper Penpraze displayed all the characteristics of what is good and great about Australia and our men and women in uniform. Lest we forget.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the people of Ryan to join with my colleagues to recognise and remember Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze who tragically lost his life last month. He is one of 18 members of the Army who were involved in a vehicle accident on the Holsworthy range on Monday, 8 October this year. Jordan Ronald Penpraze was born in Mornington, Victoria on 15 August 1990, a short 22 years ago. He enlisted in the Australian Regular Army on 3 April 2012 and on completion of his army recruit training at Kapooka he marched in to the Holdfast Troop initial employment training squadron at the School of Military Engineering on 26 June. On 11 July he commenced his Royal Australian Engineer initial employment training. During his time in Holdfast Troop, Sapper Penpraze demonstrated his quick thinking when he and another soldier successfully resuscitated an elderly citizen while on local leave in Liverpool. Sapper Penpraze remained with the elderly citizen, maintaining CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Sapper Penpraze was a respected and very well liked member of the troop. He was a quiet and stoic sapper who possessed a determination to perform to the best of his ability. He took on all lesson immediately with maturity and a strong desire for self-improvement. His commitment to his section and his mates saw him complete his work with no reservations or complaints. He would rather take the hard job or the heavy load to spare a mate who was doing it tough. It was this selfless commitment to his mates that made him such a respected member of Freetroop.

Sapper Penpraze was just days away from graduating from the Australian Army School of Military Engineering before the fatal accident at Holsworthy barracks. He was training to go into an engineering division that has paid a heavy price in Afghanistan. He had signed up to defend our country. I acknowledge the support the Defence Force, through the Defence Community Organisation, has provided to Sapper Penpraze's family through this difficult time. I ask them to continue to support his family, friends and colleagues.

Sapper Penpraze's death at Holsworthy is no less tragic than if he had died in action on overseas deployment. This young man signed on in the full knowledge that in serving his country he would be putting his life on the line. Indeed, Sapper Penpraze's untimely death is a sad reminder to us all of the dangerous job the members of our Defence Force undertake, whether on deployment in a war zone or in training at home. To Sapper Penpraze's family, friends and colleagues on behalf of the people of Ryan I extend my sincere condolences. Lest we forget.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Twenty-two-year-old Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze was in a truck which rolled down a steep hill returning from a training exercise. On behalf of the people of Herbert and the people of Townsville I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to his family, his teammates, his unit mates and comrades in Townsville, where there is only one degree of separation—and with Sapper Penpraze this is no different. Our Mayor, Jenny Hill, has a son in the Army who went through basic training with Jordan. Whilst all deaths are a terrible thing, especially that of a young man, to his parents and his family we extend our heartfelt condolences. We know that he chose to go in to a field of service and anyone who puts on a uniform knows that there are inherent risks in that. No doubt his parents were very proud of him as he stood there looking good in green.

To be brave is something I do not know too much about, but he obviously was brave. To be a sapper he would have gone into clear the path for commandoes and this takes a very brave person. As the member for Fadden said, he would go where others literally would walk in his footsteps and this is an act of true bravery and true courage. It is something that should never be diminished. He will be missed, his mates will raise a glass and he will always have a place in the history of our ADF.

As a representative of the garrison city, I know that Townsville takes its responsibilities very seriously when it comes to the men and women of our ADF. We have a very proud tradition. Recently I hosted the shadow defence minister, Senator David Johnston from Western Australia, at Lavarack Barracks and at RAAF Base Garbutt. To be able to sit down and talk to the guys who have been to Afghanistan and have been to Somalia and to Timor Leste, who have been to the Solomon Islands, to be places where your life is at risk, to be places where your training is taking you there and your training is there to be done. We are the deployable forces for Australia in Townsville. We are the cutting edge. Our training is all about getting to that place. Sapper Jordan Penpraze was not in Townsville, he was at Holsworthy, but his training would have been as pointed and as spot-on as the rest of them. Having spoken to now Major-General Stuart Smith, in training they must get into muscle memory so that when they get into a position where they are under stress it is not so much you have to think, they train until it becomes instinct. When you are a sapper that is what you must do as well. You must jump in there, you must know in advance what you are going to do, where you are going to go, what your actions will be, what your field of vision will be. With those words I say again that Jordan Penpraze will not be forgotten. Another brave man has fallen for the service of his country.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to add my voice to those who have spoken before me and to pay my respects to Sapper Jordan Penpraze, who sadly passed on 11 October 2012 at Liverpool Hospital from injuries he sustained in a vehicle accident in Holsworthy Army Base. The training incident on 8 October in the rugged bushland of Holsworthy struck home the dangerous conditions our soldiers face at home as well as abroad. As someone who knows from experience, my colleague the member for Fadden described the rigorous training undertaken by members of the Defence Force. This tragic accident brings to the fore the risks associated with the high levels of training our soldiers undertake in preparation for overseas deployment. As the member for Fadden noted, freedom is never free.

Sapper Penpraze enlisted in the regular Army in April before commencing initial deployment training in July at the School of Military Engineering at Moorebank. At the time of his death he was a trainee combat engineer who was about to qualify as a sapper in the Australian Army. No stranger to hard work, a younger Jordan spent several years labouring as a plumber alongside his father before fulfilling a dream to serve as a sapper in the Australian Army. Sapper Penpraze exemplified all the very best qualities of a young Australian today: hard-working, dedicated to pursuing his dreams of service and service to his country. He was young man devoted to family and his mates. He is now and always will be a member of the Australian Defence Force family. Speaking at his funeral the commanding officer of the School of Military Engineering, Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Hollink, said:

When Jordan enlisted into the Army he not only commenced a new career, he became part of the Army family. This is a close family with strong bonds, and while Jordan will remain in our hearts and our prayers his parents and partner remain part of our family and you will always be welcome with us at the home of the sapper.

It takes a special kind of devotion to embark upon a career in Australia's armed forces. I remain eternally humbled and grateful for both their service and my responsibility of representing the Defence community of Hughes. They are the bravest of all of us and we in the south-west of Sydney in the seat of Hughes respect their service with great pride. We feel their loss with the heaviest of hearts. Lest we forget.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to offer my condolences to the family and friends of Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze, who died on 11 October 2012 as a result of the injuries he sustained in an accident at Holsworthy Army Base on 8 October. This tragedy is a reminder that service in the uniform of this country carries with it risk. The risk is not only in the terrain of Afghanistan but also in the wide variety of training conducted to develop our military capacities. It is also, as in the case today, when being transported as part of that training.

A Victorian from Mornington, Jordan Penpraze was born on 15 August 1990 and enlisted in the ARA, the Australian Regular Army, on 3 April this year. Having completed his recruit training at Kapooka, he became an engineer and went off to the School of Military Engineering at Casula in western Sydney. It was on 11 July 2012 that he commenced his IETs, as we called it in the Army, or initial employment training. IET is the first specialist training that a soldier gets for the corps to which they have been allocated. In the case of Jordan Penpraze, this was the Royal Australian Corps of Engineers.

The task of the engineers on the battlefield is varied and there is no doubt it can be highly dangerous. These are the soldiers who build and clear. When I was training as a commissioned military police officer in Sydney in 1990, we visited the School of Military Engineering while the IETs were in training there. People like Sapper Penpraze were there building a bridge across the big creek just near the school. It was impressive but clearly dangerous work. Similarly, during the 2000 Olympics the engineers were involved with the searches and were prepared to deal with the nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical threats that might have faced the games. Again, it was high-risk and potentially deadly work. Of course in Afghanistan the threats they have to deal with are the highly dangerous IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, that have sadly claimed so many of our soldiers' lives.

It was therefore into that sort of life of potential threat that Sapper Jordan Penpraze was heading, and enthusiastically. One sometimes wonders why a person would embrace those sorts of threats when one is aware of the risk. The engineer officers I knew did of course look forward to blowing things up. I know that a fun day as an engineer was clearing obstacles or blowing up suspect objects. They also enjoyed building things or, in the case of soldiers, driving the bulldozers. In the case of Sapper Penpraze, we know he specifically liked operating boats and the water based activities.

I would imagine that the thought of these sorts of activities would have been quite an incentive for a young man like Jordan, along with the belief of doing something significant for his nation. In any case, my point is that he knew that his chosen vocation carried with it a level of excitement along with significant danger and risk. He would have known that he would probably have served in Afghanistan before too long. He probably would not have considered that riding in the back of a Unimog truck or a Range Rover at Holsworthy would be the circumstance that would cost him his life but, as we know, any military training comes with risk. I am not aware of any results yet of the investigations being carried out by Defence, Comcare or the New South Wales Police, but the tragic death of this young man should serve as a reminder that care and attention is warranted during all activities and not just on the explosives range, in the operation of plant or equipment or even in the construction of bridges.

In conclusion, I once again offer my condolences to the family and friends of Sapper Penpraze. His death was a tragedy. He is now forever lost to his family and friends. It is also a tragedy in terms of his being unable to graduate from SME and serve his country as a fully qualified engineer. He would have been magnificent, from all reports. Before concluding, I would add that it was in some way fortunate that this terrible accident did not happen earlier in his time at SME, because then he would not have been in Liverpool on local leave when he helped resuscitate a collapsed elderly person. I would like to thank his family again for providing their son in the great and important service of our nation and for raising the sort of person who would, as we know, never walk past those in need. Although he was just 22 years old, he made a significant impact on those in his troop, his friends, family and, as we now know, even strangers. In every way he was the sort of Australian that we should all be proud of. May he rest in peace.

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It seems that there have been too many of these condolence motions lately. It is all too recently that we spoke in this place about five young military men who gave their lives in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that we have had many such motions before, it does not diminish the great sadness over loss of life that we share today as we mourn the loss of Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze. So I too rise to offer condolences over the loss of Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze, who tragically died from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident on the Holsworthy range on Monday, 8 October 2012. We mourn with his family, his friends and his partner, Jacinta.

Jordan's father, Daryl, said he could not have been more proud of a son who achieved everything he had ever wanted. Mr Penpraze said Jordan had matured greatly during the last six months and grown into a strong young man. Daryl described his son as a 'a good mate' with 'a great sense of humour' who 'never whinged about a hard days work' and said:

… He put his head down and got on with the job.''

So that is what his proud dad said. Jordan's grandmother, Lavina Penpraze, said her grandson had been determined to establish his career and had been looking forward to moving to Townsville with partner Jacinta. Jordan had recently told his grandmother, Lavina, that he had never worked so hard in his life. She added:

''But he really enjoyed it and decided it was what he wanted to.

She described him as 'a gentle person and a very caring and sensible young lad'. Jordan was from Mornington in Victoria. He had enlisted in the Australian Regular Army as recently as April of this year. Poignantly, he had just completed his final field assessment and had been only days away from graduation as a sapper in Royal Australian Engineer Corps initial employment training when the accident occurred. Sapper Penpraze was described as a promising young soldier who excelled in his training at the Australian Army School of Military Engineering and looked forward to deployment in Afghanistan or beyond, helping soldiers on the move by building bridges and clearing roads of improvised explosive devices and minefields. Jordan had his heart set on a lifelong career in the armed forces. He was, from all reports, exactly the sort of soldier this country needs to defend our nation and support peace and safety around the world.

Jordan maintained his enthusiasm during field training exercises, receiving excellent reports in all field activities. He had a leadership role during this phase of the course on the basis of his previous experience in watermanship. A homegrown hero already, the determined 22-year-old had recently been hailed for quick thinking that helped save a life. While they were on local leave in Liverpool, he and another soldier successfully resuscitated an elderly citizen, Jordan maintaining CPR until an ambulance arrived. Friends and colleagues described Sapper Penpraze as a respected and very well liked member of his troop. A quiet and stoic sapper intent on performing to the best of his ability, he took on all lessons immediately with maturity and a strong desire for self-improvement. Sapper Penpraze's commitment to his section and his mates saw him complete his work with no reservations or complaints. He is described as one who would rather take the hard job or the heavy load to spare a mate who was doing it tough, and it was his selfless commitment to his mates that made him such a respected member of 3 Troop. Sapper Penpraze completed everything he did to a high standard. He excelled at his beloved watermanship, showing his skills with watercraft and a passion for boats.

As a Victorian and an Australian, I want to add that our state and our nation share his family's and the community's deep sorrow at the tragic and untimely loss of a fine young soldier. Our support and our prayers go to his friends, his partner, Jacinta, and his family. Lest we forget.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a tragically sad turn of events that we again stand here to acknowledge the loss of another fine Australian soldier, a soldier who was in training to join his comrades in the fight against terrorism and the pursuit of freedom.

A tough price was paid in his training, and that was his life.

Jordan Ronald Penpraze was born in Mornington, Victoria, on 15 August 1990. It does not seem that long ago. He enlisted in the Australian regular Army on 3 April 2012 and completed his Army recruit training at the Army Recruit Training Centre Kapooka; 80 days later marching out, on 22 June 2012. He then moved into Holdfast Troop, Initial Employment Training Squadron, at the School of Military Engineering on 26 June.

Sapper Penpraze died not at war but in training. On 8 October a truck carrying Army personnel rolled during an exercise at Holsworthy Army Barracks. Eighteen men were injured when the multipurpose truck careered off the side of the road and rolled several times, throwing all on board from the vehicle. Sadly, Sapper Penpraze passed away in a Sydney hospital just three days after that tragic accident.

Sapper Jordon Penpraze was a 22-year-old digger training to be a combat engineer, and we heard from the member for Fadden what a great role the engineers do, the sappers do, at times of crisis. They lead from the front. They clear a path so that those who follow can have safety and security. They are the bravest of the brave; the best of the best. Sapper Penpraze was just days away from graduating from his latest round of training and was a respected and very well-liked member of the troop. He was a quiet and stoic sapper who possessed a determination to perform to the very best of his ability. His death is a sad reminder of the hard work and dedication our troops must endure before they face the real conflict on the front line, in the trenches.

Sapper Penpraze's funeral was held on 23 October, a very sad occasion. The military funeral was attended by hundreds of hundreds of family, friends, and colleagues, who came to support Jordan's parents and his partner, Jacinta, and to farewell a good friend, a good friend gone far too soon. Having never reached his goal of a long career in the armed forces, he will be remembered as a fine soldier and a young man who gave his life while in training to prepare to defend our nation and our right of freedom and the freedom of others. And given that he died in training, I think the words of Colonel David Hay, the commandant of Kapooka at the latest march-out, which was held on 13 October, are well worth recounting here in this chamber:

It is an important occasion for all concerned, and I extend a warm welcome to parents, relatives and friends, many of whom have travelled significant distances to be with us—

and that is the Kapooka family: people travel from all over Australia to go to these march-outs, to go and support their loved ones, to go and support Australia's newest recruits. And this occasion was just one of those. Colonel Hay said:

During the past 80 days these soldiers have been trained, led nurtured and encouraged by the staff. Kapooka's long record of achievement is measured by the quality of those who have marched out our gates to become Australian soldiers—

just like Sapper Penpraze—

Our reputation and success rest firmly on the soldiers, the people who fill the positions of instructors and support staff. I acknowledge that, though your efforts come at a personal cost to your families, I thank them too for their enduring support to the recruits.

Today belongs to Army's newest soldiers: and let me focus on you. You now have a title that no-one can ever take away from you. You are a soldier. An Australian soldier. You are the latest to take your place at that long khaki line that stretches forward from Gallipoli, to Kokoda, through Korea to Vietnam, to our current operations in our region and the Middle East, a proud tradition of excellence and success—one that accepts no compromise, one that demands your absolute commitment. So today is a very special day for you: it celebrates continuity as well as change. It is a time to reflect on the achievements of those who have gone before us, who have honoured the uniform that we wear today—resplendent, with its rising sun badge and slouch hat. They are two of the most revered icons of the Australian nation.

And indeed they are. They are revered, just as is the service of our brave men and women who wear the uniform, whether it be the Army, the Air Force or the Navy uniform. We honour them; we praise them. We should always remember the sacrifices they make. Unfortunately, Sapper Penpraze has made the ultimate sacrifice, in training. May he rest in peace. God rest his soul. Lest we forget. Thank you.