Reservist Case Studies
Pat Trainor
Project Manager
Project Manager
Captain Pat Trainor is no Stranger to Civic Responsibility
A father of three young children and a local councillor with the Shire of Tea Tree Gully, Pat’s civilian job involves managing large public works for Adelaide Airport Corporation.
2010 marks the 13th year that Pat has pulled on Army greens to serve his country in a military career that began as an infantry Private for his university regiment.
“I was a keen member of the cadets during secondary school and joined the Reserves while I was studying my civil engineering degree at Adelaide University,” Captain Trainor said.
“I wanted to do something for the country but I also wanted to be one of the boys. As a Private, I had less responsibility than the officers and my service was very flexible around my degree.
“I spent four years as an infantryman with the University’s Regiment and added a lot of competencies to my CV during that time. I collected trades! I qualified as a Rifleman, a Combat Signaller, a driver, an engineer…I got to explore a number of different qualifications and professions and was promoted to Lance Corporal six years after I’d joined.
“Around eight years after I’d joined up, the demands on my time in my civilian life increased. I got married and started a family and had begun working on my career as a civil engineer.
“I felt I’d learned what I needed to from the infantry and I wanted to do something that was a bit more relevant to my civilian job — managing civil engineering projects.
“Rejoining the Reserves as an Officer was a natural progression. My civilian job involves managing people and projects. The leadership training I get in the Reserves complements that role. It builds on what I do at Adelaide Airport Corporation at the same time as giving me experiences that make me into a more valuable employee in my day job.
“Project Management at the Airport puts me in charge of some big ticket infrastructure development projects. Coordinating plant and personnel, achieving cooperation among sometimes competing stakeholders and interests and making sure that the job gets done are skills that come in handy in both my civilian and military jobs,” he said.
Captain Trainor is a High Readiness Reservist, able to be called up with a months notice or less. In return for keeping himself fit, well-trained and available, he receives a bonus of $10,000 for every two years of HRR duty as well as $2,500 annually for health insurance and support.
“I’ve just finished a rotation with 9th Brigade Combat team, a support company that helps create the advantageous battlefield conditions our troops need for success. We clear and build obstacles, harden defences, do demolition work and generally give our troops better battle terrains.
“The Reserves has given me very meaningful personal and professional development opportunities as well as the satisfaction of serving my country. I’m willing to go anywhere, wherever my skills are required, and at short notice and am looking forward to serving in East Timor towards the end of this year to contribute to our efforts to rebuild the country,” he said.
A father of three young children and a local councillor with the Shire of Tea Tree Gully, Pat’s civilian job involves managing large public works for Adelaide Airport Corporation.
2010 marks the 13th year that Pat has pulled on Army greens to serve his country in a military career that began as an infantry Private for his university regiment.
“I was a keen member of the cadets during secondary school and joined the Reserves while I was studying my civil engineering degree at Adelaide University,” Captain Trainor said.
“I wanted to do something for the country but I also wanted to be one of the boys. As a Private, I had less responsibility than the officers and my service was very flexible around my degree.
“I spent four years as an infantryman with the University’s Regiment and added a lot of competencies to my CV during that time. I collected trades! I qualified as a Rifleman, a Combat Signaller, a driver, an engineer…I got to explore a number of different qualifications and professions and was promoted to Lance Corporal six years after I’d joined.
“Around eight years after I’d joined up, the demands on my time in my civilian life increased. I got married and started a family and had begun working on my career as a civil engineer.
“I felt I’d learned what I needed to from the infantry and I wanted to do something that was a bit more relevant to my civilian job — managing civil engineering projects.
“Rejoining the Reserves as an Officer was a natural progression. My civilian job involves managing people and projects. The leadership training I get in the Reserves complements that role. It builds on what I do at Adelaide Airport Corporation at the same time as giving me experiences that make me into a more valuable employee in my day job.
“Project Management at the Airport puts me in charge of some big ticket infrastructure development projects. Coordinating plant and personnel, achieving cooperation among sometimes competing stakeholders and interests and making sure that the job gets done are skills that come in handy in both my civilian and military jobs,” he said.
Captain Trainor is a High Readiness Reservist, able to be called up with a months notice or less. In return for keeping himself fit, well-trained and available, he receives a bonus of $10,000 for every two years of HRR duty as well as $2,500 annually for health insurance and support.
“I’ve just finished a rotation with 9th Brigade Combat team, a support company that helps create the advantageous battlefield conditions our troops need for success. We clear and build obstacles, harden defences, do demolition work and generally give our troops better battle terrains.
“The Reserves has given me very meaningful personal and professional development opportunities as well as the satisfaction of serving my country. I’m willing to go anywhere, wherever my skills are required, and at short notice and am looking forward to serving in East Timor towards the end of this year to contribute to our efforts to rebuild the country,” he said.
