Thom family the epitome of service

It’s very much a case of one family, one Defence for the Thoms.

CAPTION: (L-R) Australian Army soldier Private Sharvorne Thom, from 2/14 Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry), Miss Gracie Thom, Mrs. Margaret Banks, baby Thom, Australian Public Servant Miss Bella-Clare Thom, from Security and Estate Group, Warrant Officer Class One Shane Thom, from Australian Defence Force Headquarters, Royal Australian Air Force Aircraftman Joshua Thom, from the Defence Force School of Signals, Miss Lilly Thom, Australian Army soldiers Craftsman Stephen Thom, from 2nd Cavalry Regiment and Lance Corporal Patrick Thom, from 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, Mrs. Carli Thom, Mrs. Courtney Thom with baby Thom and Mr. Steve Banks at 1st Recruit Training Unit at RAAF Base Wagga. Story and photos by Corporal Jacob Joseph.

In the family of six, plus partners, almost all except the youngest are enlisted or are serving Defence through the APS.

They might be the only family in Defence with three brothers serving at the same time as their dad.

On August 21, Aircraftman Josh Thom was the latest to enlist, graduating 1 Recruit Training Unit at RAAF Base Wagga before heading to Melbourne to train as a network technician.

There was no love lost when Aircraftman Thom decided to wear blue over green, differing from his Army-dominated family.

“I thought I’d choose the smarter force,” Aircraftman Thom joked.

“But in all seriousness, seeing my dad and brothers in Defence I knew I wanted to serve, but I chose the job I wanted to do.”

It started in regional Victoria in 1995 at the Army School of Catering.

Warrant Officer Class One (WO1) Shane Thom, then a young private from Adelaide training to become a steward, met a cook-in-training, then-Private Carli Banks.

The common room was the only place where men and women could mingle and the couple’s friendship grew, sitting on vinyl-covered chairs watching the footy on a Friday night.

“He proposed after three weeks; I must have been pretty awesome,” Mrs Thom said.

Mrs Thom left the Army and spent 25 years as a homemaker and wife, raising their six children and moving across the country to support WO1 Thom’s service.

She has since joined the APS, and now works for Security and Estate Group.

Aircraftman Thom is the eldest brother, but the last to enlist, leaving a career as a Fair Work Ombudsman project officer to join Air Force.

His younger brothers Lance Corporal Patrick Thom and Craftsman Stephen Thom are based in Brisbane and Townsville with 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, and 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

Craftsman Thom’s wife works at Joint Health Command and Lance Corporal Thom’s wife serves with 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry).

With the family spread out between Queensland and the ACT, occasions like graduations are a chance for the family to get together.

“We’ve got a really strong sense of mateship between all of us,” Craftsman Thom said.

“We make an effort for each other.”

WO1 Thom is proud of all his family and encouraged his children to make the most of their time in Defence.

“There are many career pathways in Defence; you can reinvent yourself and find something that keeps you interested,” WO1 Thom said.

But he’s not holding out for Aircraftman Thom’s service transfer anytime soon.

And as for the family’s youngest, Lilly?

“She was talking about joining Air Force a little while ago,” WO1 Thom said.

“Maybe she’ll join the smarter service,” Aircraftman Thom said.

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