ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Our thanks to the official Army Soldier's Newspaper for the following articles
ULTIMATE TEST OF ENDURANCE
Cpl Jacob Joseph
Capt Meghann Bullen shows her form during one of the uphill sections of the Ultra Trail Australia 100-mile event
Army physio Capt Meghann Bullen made history as the women’s winner of the inaugural Ultra Trail Australia 100-mile race in the Blue Mountains last month.
The reservist finished ninth overall, completing the gruelling test of endurance in 21 hours and 52 minutes.
It was her first race since giving birth 13 months earlier.
“I knew I would finish the race, I just didn’t know how the body would go,” Capt Bullen said.
She had a 40-50 minute lead with 20km remaining, a quad-shocking downhill run followed by an excruciating climb back to Katoomba.
“I knew I had it at the top of the stairs; it was pretty exciting,” she said.
Capt Bullen was one of more than 60 Defence personnel who took part in Australia’s largest trail running festival, from May 15-18, running distances from 11km to 100 miles.
Defence had nine personnel running in the 100-mile event.
Among them was PO Thomas Pomery, who crossed the line in a little over 35 hours. It’s a feat made all the more impressive after a surgeon removed most of the cartilage from his knee in 2017 and was told to give up long-distance running.
“I don’t like being told I can’t do stuff,” PO Pomery said. “I thought screw it, let’s see how we go.”
He signed up for a 13km race last year and doubled the distances in each event since, finishing a 100km race at Ultra Trail Kosciuszko last November.
Another 100-mile participant, FltLt Jason Weatherby, had a point to prove after withdrawing 116km into the Ultra Trail Kosciuszko 100-mile race last year.
He crushed his second attempt at it, finishing in just over 32 hours.
“It was a very muddy trail out there with a lot more stairs than I expected,” Flt-Lt Weatherby said.
“It was great to see so many ADF members out there giving it a crack.”
The 100km event was the most popular, with 25 ADF members signing up to tackle the course.
In the 22km event, Maj Iain Best finished fourth overall, just five minutes behind first place.
Since 2007, thousands of people have traversed the Blue Mountains to tackle one of Australia’s premier endurance events.
With distances to suit all abilities, PO Pomery encouraged personnel to get involved and test their mettle.
“We’re not often in a position where we’re challenging and training our resilience,” PO Pomery said.
“It’s good to go out and do things like this that top up your resilience reserve.”
The ADF Running and Athletics Association provides financial and administrative support to eligible personnel.
Going extra mile for personnel
Cpl Luke Bellman
RECOGNITION FOR SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Unit resource manager Sgt Joanna Morris.
FROM flying in families to support personnel, to rewriting systems to better support those in crisis, Sgt Joanna Morris became a vital force in the Northern Territory as a unit resource manager.
Because of her dedication to soldier welfare and support, she was awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.
Her efforts also improved financial processes for international engagements, which streamlined payments to local suppliers in Timor Leste to ensure small businesses weren’t disadvantaged by Defence systems.
Working through severe staffing shortages, she often took on the responsibilities of multiple roles, ensuring no lapse in support for personnel or their families.
Sgt Morris, who has served in the Army for 17 years after joining in her late 20s, said she never expected formal recognition for simply doing her job.
“I just came to work each day wanting to help people. I didn’t think I was doing anything extraordinary, just what needed to be done,” she said
In her approach, she combined persistence with compassion, often navigating rigid policies to find practical solutions that put the wellbeing of soldiers and their families first.
She said being posted to Darwin could feel isolating for younger soldiers, especially those far from family and support networks, making tailored welfare support essential.
“Sometimes all it takes is having someone reach out or involve the family to turn things around for a struggling soldier,” Sgt Morris said.
“When your thousands of kilometres from home, knowing someone has your back makes all the difference.
“I always tried to think like a parent – what would I want someone to do for my child if they were in trouble far from home.”
Her advice to those in personnel support roles is to lead with empathy, keep an open mind, and never stop advocating for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
“If someone’s struggling, don’t stop at the first roadblock – keep knocking on doors until you find the help they need,” she said.
MEDALS FOR HERO'S FAMILY
Michelle Hoare
Brig Isaac Seidl presents the set of miniature medals
to
Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s granddaughter, Dianna.
​A new set of Sir Ernest Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s war medals has been presented to his family after burglars stole a safe containing them and other memorabilia from their Melbourne home more than two years ago.
Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop was one of Australia’s most famous military surgeons who became a prisoner of war in 1942, and in post-war service continued to advocate for veterans.
The World War 2 hero was knighted in 1969, and named Australian of the Year in 1976.
Following an inquiry from the Dunlop family in 2023, Defence Honours and Awards worked with them to replace the stolen medals. During this extensive process it was discovered Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop qualified for several accolades that had never been formally awarded.
In a recent ceremony i n Canberra, Deputy Surgeon General ADF and Head of the RAAMC Brig Isaac Seidl presented Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s granddaughter, Dianna, with a set of miniature medals.
They included the Companion of the Order of Australia, the Knight Bachelor, the Order of St Michael and St George, and the Order of the British Empire.
Brig Seidl was proud to present the medals.
“It is an absolute honour to present these medals to the Dunlop family in recognition of Sir Ernest Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s extraordinary legacy of wartime service, advocacy and courage throughout his life,” Brig Seidl said.
“Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s incredible story is one that can bring inspiration to our current serving ADF health workforce. He demonstrated that you can lead with compassion and kindness even in times of great hardship.
“In the depths of adversity, through maltreatment, disease, and death, his calm leadership gave his fellow prisoners of war something even the enemy couldn’t take away – hope.
“Sir ‘Weary’ Dunlop had a saying that is as relevant today as it was during his service and later life: ‘I have a conviction that it’s only when you’re put at full stretch that you can realise your full potential’. When we reflect on that, we realise the importance of hard work, resilience, and going the extra mile for those who depend on us.”
Brig Seidl also thanked the staff of the Directorate of Honours and Awards, not only for this work, but their efforts every day in the recognition of personnel.
“The work of Defence Honours and Awards doesn’t go unnoticed. It ensures that our people are recognised and thanked for their service and achievements. This small team has great impact, and I’m delighted to have this opportunity to close that circle of gratitude,” he said.
As part of the replacement process, the directorate donated a set of full-sized medals to the Australian War Memorial on behalf of the Dunlop family
ADFA cadets boost food supplies
Lt-Col Sandra Turner
ADFA trainee officers with just a few of the non-perishable items gathered during this year’s food drive in Canberra ready for loading into the OzHarvest truck.
Photo: OffCdt Jamie Doran
ADFA’s support of OzHarvest this year resulted in the biggest collection of nonperishable food items in Canberra.
ADFA trainee officer and activity co-organiser OffCdt Sienna Head said the collection occurred over a two-week period in May.
Named Can the Cube, each squadron had a crate (cube) to decorate. The goal was to ‘can’ it with food items, with a bit of friendly competition between squadrons.
“Just on 1200 kilograms of goods were collected, comprising donations from all six squadrons,” OffCdt Head said.
“That’s 2400 meals delivered to the Canberra community, and congratulations to Delta Squadron for the largest donation of items.
“It’s so great to see how the whole academy came together and worked to provide all of these food items, directly supporting our local ACT community.”
Five members from each squadron helped the local OzHarvest team load the items into their distinctive yellow truck.
ACT OzHarvest engagement and culture lead, Christine Scott, said the efforts of the ADFA squadrons made a huge impact.
“Filling our yellow van almost to capacity, the food drive has had an immediate impact,” Ms Scott said.
“It’s tough out there and the demand for food relief has never been greater.
“The goods collected were added to our deliveries the very next day – restocking low food pantries and helping the ever-growing demand for food support.
“Our sincere gratitude and thanks to all the ADFA team for their huge efforts on such a successful food drive.”
Commandant of ADFA Brig Troy Francis congratulated the trainee officers for their generosity and compassion – important attributes of future ADF leaders.
“You have set the bar higher than ever with your charity support,” Brig Francis said.