Our People in VIC
Dominique Eyre - From factory worker to front line
From Coca Cola, to sailing the ocean with the Navy, and now working in a military supply store in the Middle East desert, Frankston’s Dominique Eyre-Walker’s life has certainly been full of variety.
Dominique, now an Able Seaman, has just begun an eight-month deployment in the Middle East Area of Operations where he is in charge of weapons at the Australian Contingent Compound, affectionately known as “Billabong Flats”.
He also works in the supply store, issuing equipment to the Australians moving through the area.
“We’re just here to support them, from the big items to the littlest thing,” said Dominique. “It could be looking after their bags for a couple of days, to supplying extra equipment for the extreme cold weather over there where it gets down to minus 15 or 20 around Christmas.”
After attending school at Peninsular Grammar and then the Ballam Park Technical School, Dominique worked in several Frankston-based factories, including Coca Cola, for 10 years before spending some time working on inland oil rigs in Queensland.
Then, at the age of 40, he decided to join the military.
“My cousin was in the Navy, so I spoke to him a lot about it. He said do it, that I would love it, and he was right,” Dominique said.
The past four years has seen Dominique posted to Darwin and then on a round-the-world trip aboard HMAS SYDNEY which he cut short to serve in the Middle East.
“I had the option to stay on the world trip, but the chance to deploy on operations was something I joined the military to do, so I put in my application and was successful,” he said.
Dominique’s parents still live in Frankston area.
Australia's military contribution to Afghanistan is part of the nation’s broader commitment to Coalition efforts against international terrorism, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden, and maritime security.
The Australian deployment, comprising around 1550 personnel in Afghanistan and a further 850 across the Middle East, is know as Operations SLIPPER.