Navy People: Greece commemorations highlight of Josh's career
20 June 2011
Seaman Josh Tibbles is currently deployed to Greece as part of a contingent of Australia’s Federation Guard commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Greece and Crete.
Before moving to Mt Druitt in 2004, Josh grew up in Blacktown and attended Tyndale Christian School where he played soccer, Australian Rules football and was a member of the school band.
After finishing school, Josh worked in the construction industry for just over a year before deciding to join the Royal Australian Navy as a Boatswain’s Mate.
“I joined the Navy for a bit of adventure and I wanted to serve my country,” Josh said.
“The training was tough, 6 months full-on, a lot of weapons and seamanship skills.”
Josh was first posted to Australia’s Federation Guard, a ceremonial unit based in Canberra, where one of his roles is to be a drummer for the Precision Drill Team.
“I played drums in high school and when the opportunity came up to play within the military, I put my hand up and learnt the drum patterns for marching,” Josh said.
“It wasn’t too difficult to pick up and it means that I get to do a lot of great trips because there aren’t that many of us.”
For two months in 2010, Josh volunteered to play a cameo role on the television show Sea Patrol where he starred as an extra in a few televised scenes.
“It was fun because we got to support the show, perform all the action scenes and meet all the actors in the series.”
Now working in Greece for the commemoration activities, josh said the trip has been the highlight of his career.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting the veterans and honouring them by participating in the commemoration activities for the battles they fought in and the sacrifices they made,” Josh said.
“Greece is a beautiful country, with a lot of history and the people are very friendly – the food is great too.”
“I’m looking forward to getting back into fitness training in Canberra and telling my family about the experience I’ve had here.”
Australia's Federation Guard is an ADF unit, comprised of members from the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force, that provides ceremonial support for the Australian Commonwealth.
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