As ANZAC Day approaches, Australians pause to reflect on service, sacrifice, and the strength that carries through generations, embedded into the Australian way. For Simon Thresher, that reflection is deeply personal having served in the Royal Australian Navy for over 32 years.

Service has been part of Simon’s family history for more than a century. Generations have answered the call to serve during the First and Second World Wars, with family members serving across intelligence, coastal defence and naval roles across Europe and then later the South West Pacific.

Simon’s grandfather served in the Royal Navy before, during and after the Second World War, surviving being sunk by a German U-boat in the Mediterranean, drifting at sea for two days before his rescue. Simon’s grandmother served on the home front in the United Kingdom, working in wartime shipbuilding and engineering to support the Allied effort.

As many touched by the effects of war on their families know, these are not stories of celebration.

“These are stories of resilience, duty, and personal cost,” Simon reflects.

These family stories formed part of Simon’s own journey when he joined the Royal Australian Navy straight out of high school in 1994.

Drawn initially by a fascination with science and the marine environment, Simon enlisted as a sailor and spent almost eight years in full‑time service. Most of that time was spent at sea aboard various warships, sailing extensively across Australia, the Pacific, Asia and the Americas – including a particularly impactful peacekeeping deployment to Bougainville as part of Operation Bel isi following civil conflict.

“For a young sailor, it was confronting and humbling. It really grounded me in the reality that military service has real consequences for real people and communities,” Simon recalls.

From the outset Simon’s naval career was physically demanding and often dangerous involving high risk maritime operations under challenging conditions. Such experiences demanded discipline, teamwork and calm decision-making under pressure. Values that continue to guide Simon and his work today.

In the early 2000s, Simon and his then wife who was also serving in the Navy, made the significant decision to step away from full-time naval service to become the primary carer at home while they began growing their family.

“At the time, it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. But it reinforced something I still believe - that service comes in many forms.” Simon says.

Stepping out of the uniform meant deliberately rebuilding Simon’s professional identity. He retrained as a landscape tradesperson before becoming a certified Landscape Designer, working across studios and consultancies in major cities around Australia.

Today, as a Commercial Contract Senior Specialist at Essential Energy, Simon brings together operational experience, environmental expertise and disciplined decision‑making, with safety, accountability and long‑term stewardship central to his work.

“I’m comfortable operating across frontline delivery and strategic thinking. The principles are the same - preparation, trust, accountability and understanding the consequences of decisions,” Simon says.

Service, however, never truly left Simon’s life.

Since 2010, he has continued serving as a Navy Reservist, returning to sea on multiple occasions and supporting Defence operations in increasingly specialised roles.

For Simon and his family, Anzac Day is a time of reflection rather than celebration. It is a moment to acknowledge the generations who served, the personal costs involved, and the values that endure.

It’s also a reminder that service does not end when a uniform comes off.

“Service has always been part of my life, it just continues in different forms,” Simon says.

Lest We Forget.