An Australian Army soldier killed during a training exercise at a remote Northern Territory base has been remembered as a devoted father of two.
Corporal Brendan Hannam, 28, was aboard a military vehicle when it overturned at the Mount Bundey Training Area, roughly 130km east of Darwin, on Monday afternoon.
Five other personnel were injured in the crash. Two remained in Royal Darwin Hospital on Tuesday.
Chief of Army Susan Coyle said Corporal Hannam was a junior non-commissioned officer who had served in Afghanistan and helped train soldiers in Ukraine.
“Brendan is survived by a partner and two young children,” she told reporters on Tuesday.
Coyle described him as a much-loved young leader who had served on two operational tours and made significant sacrifices during his military career.
“His mates tell me that he would give the shirt off his back for anybody,” she said. “But he will be remembered most for the love and support he gave to his partner and his kids.”
A number of Corporal Hannam’s colleagues have contacted his family in the aftermath of the crash.
Corporal Brendan Hannam (above) died on Monday after a military vehicle overturned during a training exercise
The 117,000-hectare Mount Bundey Training Area is located about 130km east of Darwin
For the time being, the family is receiving extensive support from the 5th/7th Battalion, the unit Corporal Hannam had been part of since joining the Army, Coyle said.
“They are his Army family, and they are the right people to be with the family at this time,” she said.
Corporal Hannam had hoped to become an Army medical technician.
“And I know that he would have been superb,” Coyle said.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro also expressed her condolences to Corporal Hannam’s loved ones.
“I want to offer our sincere condolences to the family of the young serviceperson who lost their life yesterday,” she said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, who are obviously devastated by this loss. The entire community stands with our service personnel, who will be feeling this loss immensely.”
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said he could not discuss the specific circumstances of the incident, but additional police resources had been sent to the training area to support the Defence Department’s investigation.
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Chief of Army Susan Coyle (above) said Corporal Hannam was a junior non-commissioned officer who served in Afghanistan and helped train soldiers in Ukraine
“We can’t comment on the cause of the injury to the defence personnel, but we are assisting with the investigation on behalf of the coroner,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased as well as the injured soldiers.
‘There are no safe or easy days for those who serve in our country’s name,’ he said.
‘Every loss and every incident is felt deeply by the broader Defence family, but by none more so than their mates who served alongside them.
‘We think of them today and every day.’
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles called the death ‘a tragic loss of one of our finest soldiers’.
‘Australia’s servicemen and women do an exceptional job training and fighting for our country,’ he said.
‘This work in the defence of our nation carries risk.’
Coyle said Corporal Hannam would be ‘remembered for is the love and support that he had for his partner and his kids’
Mount Bundey Training Area is a 117,000-hectare facility located in the Northern Territory.
It is used by the Australian Army and its allies for live-fire training.
This is not the first time a soldier has died at the training site, with Australian Army Private Jason Challis killed there in 2017.
An NT coroner later found that Private Challis was standing behind a plywood wall when he was shot during an urban attack simulation in a mock village.
The coroner described the exercise as ‘shambolic’ and criticised what the findings identified as a ‘long-held mindset’ against rehearsing combat-style operations.
Defence later pleaded guilty in Darwin Local Court to breaching a workplace health and safety duty over the 2017 incident.
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