Trooper Peach, 25, a Bushmaster Protected mobility vehicle driver from B Squadron 3/4 Cavalry Regiment in Townsville, is deployed to Operation Slipper to help provide protected transport for Australia’s mentors and advisors at Camp Hero and the wider Kandahar region. 

He is with the 205th Corps Coalition Advisory Team.

The married father of one daughter has been deployed since early July and said he looked forward to getting home in late January after a long year of training and operations. 

“We did about four months of lead-up work, culminating in cavalry training, which was also the tick-in-the-box to deploy,” he said.

“We also did a lot of pistol and rifle shooting, physical training and lots of lessons, including learning basic Dari to communicate while in Afghanistan, and casualty treatment. We had to treat simulated wounded soldiers, while engaging mock targets.

“The simulated demolitions and explosions made this first-rate and memorable training.”

Trooper Peach said his team of drivers daily transported advisors from Kandahar Air Field (the largest base in southern Afghanistan) to Camp Hero, the nearest Afghan National Army base.

“There’s some great camaraderie here, a good bunch of blokes and the volleyball is pretty competitive!” he said.

Trooper Peach said he missed his wife Chanel and daughter Charlie and looked forward to playing golf at Catalina Country Club with mates.

“I can’t wait to get home to see Chanel and Charlie and I’ll be home just in time for the birth of our second child,” he said.

“When the family stuff is sorted, I can’t wait for a beer and a punt at the Cat Club.

“Christmas won’t be the same this year without the annual ‘loose’ photo with my sister in the early hours.”

Trooper Peach was in 2012 deployed with Mentoring Task Force-5 at Multi National Base -Tarin Kowt. 

He is one of about 400 Australian personnel based at Kabul and Kandahar, Afghanistan, to support the ISAF mission.