TONKIN, Matthew Neil Hardy
| Service Number: | 8551812 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 March 2009 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) |
| Born: | Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 3 March 1990 |
| Home Town: | Subiaco, Nedlands, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Shenton College, Perth, Western Australia |
| Occupation: | Assistant Manager, Fast Food Outlet |
| Died: | Illness, Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 3 July 2014, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park, Padbury, Western Australia |
| Memorials: | Western Australian Garden of Remembrance |
Afghanistan Service
| 2 Mar 2009: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), 8551812, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 2013: | Discharged Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 8551812, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Liz Williamson
On his nineteenth birthday, Matthew enlisted in the ADF as a rifleman in the Royal Australian Infantry for an initial period of four years. He was stationed at Enoggera in Queensland. Deployed in March 2012, he was transferred to Townsville, and on 8 June 2012 he was deployed to the Uruzghan province in Afghanistan.
His date of separation was 21 December 2013
Matthew Tonkin, 24, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 and identified as a "potential leader in the Army", but was significantly affected by the death of his best friend and fellow soldier, Robert Poate, and the maiming of another colleague.
He was later declared unfit for active duty due to chronic pain from a hip injury he suffered during the deployment.
Following his return to Australia, Mr Tonkin was diagnosed with PTSD and was prescribed antidepressants, as well opioids to treat his hip pain.
He returned to Perth to be near his family in January 2014.
He died in his childhood bedroom at his father's home in July of that year.
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