Brotherly bonds forged through playing touch football

On the opening day of the 2026 Defence Touch Football National Championships, two brothers lined up side by side in the ADF Touch Football Association (ADFTA) Veterans Fast 4s competition.

Capt Terence Kong, an officer in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) corps, was joined on the field by his younger brother Phillip Kong, a former infantry corporal.

“We were both born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, grew up in Rabaul and ended up moving over to Australia in 1988 for our education,” Capt Kong said.

Growing up around Brisbane, the brothers were immersed in the city’s rugby culture; it was a natural pipeline for them.

“I’ve been playing touch footy since I was 12 years old in school here in Brisbane, and then I joined the Defence Force and got back into it in 2004,” Mr Kong said.

There was a moment of separation for the two, when Capt Kong first decided to join the Australian Army.

Capt Kong was originally an enlisted member in the RAEME corps before he commissioned in 2025.

From enlistment in 1999, Capt Kong’s postings as an Army electrical technician included Townsville for nine years, Sydney for six years, the trade school in Albury-Wodonga, and five years in Darwin.

“When he left and joined the Army, we lost a bit of contact, and he was away a lot of the time,” My Kong said.

Luckily for them, the powers that be (career managers) came together to reunite them in Townsville for a number of years.

“When we came back together up in Townsville, we started playing up there and it was like he never left – we just knew what we were doing,” Mr Kong said.

Mr Kong discharged in 2021 after a 14-year infantry career across postings to 1RAR in Townsville and 8/9RAR in Brisbane.

The pair now make it a priority to continue playing together in teams as long as they can, moving between the two northern states.

“Every opportunity we get to play on the same team together, we’ll do it,” Capt Kong said.

“It’s always a pleasure to play on the same team as someone who knows how I play, and I know how he plays.”

The pair plan to keep the partnership going, with a number of civilian competition matches already marked on the calendar for the months ahead.

“We’re playing in a mixed masters’ team that’s going away to play in Fiji in November, and when we return we’ll be playing in another mixed masters’ team for the Queensland Cup,” Mr Kong said.

“It’s always good to play touch football both in and out of Defence, and especially alongside my brother – we grew up playing together.

“We’re fortunate enough to play a few weeks in a row, on the same team.”

The annual ADFTA Veterans Fast 4s, as part of the DEFNATS event, continues to build connections across the veteran community, celebrating service, mateship and the enduring bonds formed through touch football.