Rockhampton's long-running relationship with Defence has been on show at the Defence Open Day, delivered by Rockhampton Regional Council in partnership with the Australian Army's 7th Brigade.
Almost 2,700 community members attended a free event at the Rockhampton Heritage Village on Saturday to see Defence vehicles and equipment up close, view a demonstration of explosive detection dogs in action, learn more about careers within Defence, and delve into Rockhampton's history of supporting Defence activities.
Mayor Tony Williams said the school holiday activity had something for everyone.
"The Defence Open Day was an exhilarating event for our local community to get up close with some of the vehicles, machinery and equipment which we've seen around the Region in the leadup to Exercise Talisman Sabre," Mayor Williams said.
"Hopefully we've inspired some of our younger residents to consider a career pathway in Defence – whether that's through service, manufacturing, logistics or transport – and given our community insights into what goes on behind the scenes for Rockhampton to host Defence activities.
"2025 marks 20 years of the Rockhampton Region hosting troops for Exercise Talisman Sabre. We thank the 7th Brigade for meeting with our community as part of its visit and wish the team the best of luck during the exercise."
Members of the 7th Brigade will maintain their presence across the Rockhampton Region and Shoalwater Bay Training Area as Exercise Talisman Sabre begins. The 2025 Exercise Talisman Sabre will be the largest iteration of the multi-national training exercise will include more than 30,000 personnel and 19 countries.
The Commander of the Australian Army's 7th Brigade Brigadier Giles Cornelia DSM CSM said the Defence Open Day was an important way to connect with and thank the local community.
"The Defence Open Day was a chance to thank Rockhampton residents for hosting our personnel and allied/partner personnel during Exercise Talisman Sabre and South Queensland Warfighter. Without the support of communities like Rockhampton these exercises wouldn't be the success that they are," Brigadier Cornelia said.
"The Defence Open Day was an invaluable opportunity for us in 7th Brigade - the Army's Ready Brigade - to connect with the community, tell people what we do and how we operate and show them the multitude of rewarding careers possibilities in the Australian Defence Force."
Exercise Talisman Sabre runs until 4 August across Australia and Papua New Guinea.
