Former serviceman meets the royals, goes on to win gold at the Invictus Games
It has certainly been a good week for Royal Flying Doctor Service Broken Hill base manager Marcus Wilson.
And as if that wasnt enough, the former Australian serviceman then competed in the Invictus Games – which Prince Harry created in 2014 – where he won a gold medal in the sailing event.
Marcus spent spent 14 years in the Australian Army.
After deployments in anti-terrorism and chemical and biological units he studied to become a medic and served in the military for a further eight years in that capacity.
Marcus had postings around Australia and also served in Papua New Guinea.
After being medically discharged from the Army in 2002, Marcus worked for the Queensland Government where he was involved in pandemic planning.
Upon leaving the Army, Marcus said there wasnt much support for medically discharged serviceman as there is now.
“I found support through other veterans through networking, but it wasnt a formalised thing as it is now,” he said.
In 2006, he went to Afghanistan to work in aeromedical retrieval, which inspired him to start his own company in Kabul and has spent the past decade supplying clinic, health and emergency evacuation services to aid workers with the United Nations being his largest customer.
After coming back to Australia, Marcus saw the job advertisement for the RFDS Broken Hill base manager position and applied.
“The Flying Doctors was always an organisation that Id aspired to work for,” he said.
“And I thought my time in Afghanistan was very fitting to prepare me for my current role.”
"Its your privilege to watch in the stands or with your friends & families around the television. Its your responsibility to make sure your children know how amazing these guys and girls really are…"
The Duke of Sussex, to all Australians #GameOnDownUnder@WeAreInvictuspic.twitter.com/RZGktsSiYW— InvictusSydney (@InvictusSydney) October 20, 2018
Marcus said he works for an “amazing organisation” and was a “truly, wholesome, fulfilling job.”
“I fell incredibly privileged to work with the people I work with and to do the work that I do… the organisation has a reputation that is second to none,” he said.
“We deliver good services to people in need. So you go home feeling like youve achieved something very positive.”
Marcus was invited out to the Dubbo RFDS base as part of Prince Harry and Meghans royal visit.
Marcus said he was very privileged to be recognised with that honour.
“Im just grateful that the royal couple chose to honour such an amazing organisation with a visit and unveiling the plane,” he said.
Marcus said it was also wonderful to have the contribution of RFDS volunteers reognised that day.
“The RFDS literally couldnt do what it does without the community support… things would grind to a halt very quickly if we werent supported the way we are,” he said.
Marcus said both Harry and Meghan were very down-to-earth and spent a great deal of time with the RFDS volunteers and were very interested in the RFDS patient stories.
You just see some really amazing thing and Im privileged to be a part of it.
Marcus Wilson, on the Invictus Games
“So it was fantastic to be able to highlight the amazing work that we do on such a high-profile engagement,” he said.
After meeting the royals, Marcus then had to leave for Sydney in order to get down in time for the opening of the Invictus Games that weekend.
He competed in sailing on the Sunday and won a gold medal in the seven metre class, four man crew.
“The team came from across Australia to train and prepare and it worked out very well,” Marcus said.
The team also won a silver and bronze in the one man crew.
“So it was a pretty good day on the water for us,” Marcus said.
The Invictus Games are an “awe-inspiring” event, he said, both in its scope and performances.
“You just see some really amazing thing and Im privileged to be a part of it,” Marcus said.
This story Former serviceman meets the royals, goes on to win gold at the Invictus Games first appeared on Western Magazine.
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