Army family ties

Most soldiers who deploy on operations leave their family behind to do their bit for their country, but for gunner Emily Robertson, this was not the case.

On January 9 the 20-year-old was deployed to Kangaroo Island to support the Army’s recovery effort.

After spending three weeks working with farmers and the community to restore and repair the island, Pvt. Robertson was joined on the same platoon by her dad, Sgt Anthony Robertson.

“Growing up as a kid I spent a lot of my time around army things because of my dad,” she said. “It was definitely interesting working with him as my boss, but having him there through the experience was something I will never forget.”

The duo were trained to be combat soldiers but found they adapted easily to a humanitarian assistance role.

“It was devastating to see the damage first hand and how much of the island was actually burnt,” Pvt. Robertson said.

“You could drive for an hour and everything you passed was burnt, I had never seen anything like it before.

“I am so thankful I had the opportunity to offer help and support to a community that needed and appreciated it and would happily do it again.”