Unveiling of Memorial honouring the crew of Callsign ‘Bushman 83’

Minister for Families, Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Member for Whitsunday, the Honourable Amanda Camm MP; Member for Hervey Bay, Mr David Lee MP; Federal Member for Dawson, Mr Andrew Wilcox MP; Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor, Councillor Ry Collins, CEO Mr Warren Bunker and Councillors; Representing the families of the late Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph 'Phillip' Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs, whose service and sacrifice we honour today; the Operation Pilgrimage Team; Veterans and defence force personnel; representatives of the Queensland Police Service; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands on which we are gathered, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people here today.

It is my solemn privilege to join you at this event to honour the crew of callsign “Bushman 83”, and to unveil this memorial to those who lost their lives offshore from here almost three years ago.

Here, amid the striking beauty of the Whitsunday region, I offer my respects to the bereaved families, especially to those who have travelled to join us today.

Graeme and I have strong personal ties to the Australian Defence Force, and it means a great deal to us both to be able to stand in solidarity with you — to offer our most sincere condolences on your immense loss.

This memorial honours four special men: Captain Danniel Lyon; Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent; Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph ‘Phillip’ Laycock; and Corporal Alexander Naggs.

They were airmen of the highest calibre, who served with dedication and determination—who used their skills and professionalism in regions of conflict and struggle, both here and abroad.

Their lives—so tragically cut short—were shaped by service to their nation. For the bereaved families and friends, seeing your loved ones’ names honoured and remembered in this place may demonstrate, in some measure, the depth of our gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

This permanent memorial will serve to remind us all of the dangers faced—every day—by those who work in defence of our great country.

As we remember these men as professional soldiers, as skilled aviators, I would also like to acknowledge that they were so much more.

They were husbands and partners, fathers, sons, siblings, friends and colleagues.

Danniel Lyon was a devoted father, a decorated pilot who was deployed, among numerous operations, to Whakaari—White Island in New Zealand in 2019, to assist people injured in the volcanic eruption there.  

Maxwell Nugent, just 24 years old, was, his parents wrote, “an adventurer, a stirrer, a tough young man” who got “to live his dream” in the service of others.

Joseph ‘Phillip’ Laycock “loved his military career, and his three boys”. He was deployed to Timor Leste as part of a UN peacekeeping mission. Phillip served alongside his brother Stephen, also an air crewman.

Alexander Naggs is remembered as “a beloved partner” who was hardworking, generous and kind—a man “always there for his mates”.

Today, as we unveil this memorial to the tragic loss of Callsign “Bushman 83”, we will remember these men for all that they gave: for their courage, their sacrifice, their mateship, and their love.

May they rest in peace. Lest we forget.