A 25-year career defined by service to others

When FSGT Mark Dyson joined Air Force as a clerk at 18, he was stepping into unknown territory. The first in his family to serve, he left his hometown of Geelong looking for something different.

From working on operations with 37SQN and 3SQN to serving as Executive Assistant to two Air Commanders, his career was built on one simple principle: look after people.

“The thing I'll miss the most, I think, are the teams that I worked with and helped develop,” he said.

“To see people who were on the edge of separating from Defence go on to win awards and become senior NCOs, and still reach out years later, that's amazing.

“To see them now flourish … I’m pretty proud.”

While the people FSGT Dyson worked alongside and those he managed became the most rewarding part of his career, even earning him an Australia Day Medallion, they also shaped some of its hardest moments.

During his deployment to the Middle East, he was part of the guard of honour during several ramp ceremonies honouring Australian personnel who had died while serving overseas. He said it was a stark reminder of the human cost of service.

“There’s a real sense of mortality when you go away on these things,” FSGT Dyson said.

“In my first deployment in 2009, there were combat deaths and I was young, so that was pretty tough.”

Towards the end of his service, and armed with the knowledge of what it was like to deploy somewhere far from home and in contested areas, FSGT Dyson found his niche working at AMG HQ, helping prepare aviators for deployment.

“[Deployment] can be quite overwhelming for people when they're going into a role that they're not sure on,” he said.

“Calming these people … making sure their transition was as seamless as possible – I sort of took pride in that.”

After spending much of his career helping others, FSGT Dyson is now turning his attention to his own next chapter, carrying with him the connections, lessons and memories forged over 25 years in uniform.