Permanent Memorial Honours Bushman 83 Soldiers

The tragedy that forever changed the Whitsundays was honoured this Sunday 26th July, as a permanent memorial to the four Australian Army soldiers killed in the Bushman 83 helicopter crash was unveiled at Shute Harbour lookout before their families, Defencepersonnel and the wider community.  

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The Bushman 83 Memorial stands overlooking the waters where the Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan crashed during Exercise Talisman Sabre on July 28^th 2023, claiming the lives of Captain Danniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer II Phillip Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs.  

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The unveiling, dedication and blessing of the Memorial brought together representatives from each of the four soldiers' families.  

Alongside them was Governor of Queensland Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox, State Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm, Whitsunday Mayor Ry Collins, veterans, serving defensepersonnel, first responders and members of the wider Whitsunday community.  

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“It was an incredibly moving moment that puts into perspective the immense, lasting sacrifice borne by the families left behind,” said Andrew Willcox MP on Facebook.  

Operation Pilgrimage group approached the Whitsundays Regional Council over a year ago, in hopes of placing the memorial in its rightful home.

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"The location is symbolic, it's in the Whitsundays, which is where the accident happened,” Allan said.

“If we put it down in Canberra or somewhere over the aviation hangar in Sale, Victoria, forget it."  

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Operation Pilgrimage was established more than 30 years ago by former military personnel with the aim of preserving Australia's military heritage and those who have been lost, permanently cementing their memories in places of historical significance.  

The Bushman 83 Memorial is the group's 45th project, with Allan and the team making multiple reconnaissance trips to the Whitsundays to select the site.  

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While he commended the council for its cooperation and teamwork in bringing the project to life, he said his foremost priority was ensuring the memorial did justice to the four soldiers and the families who continue to carry the weight of their loss.

“I've met all of them, spoken to them all and they all knew what I wanted to do,” Allan said.  

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"One of the things that you can't control is how things are with the relatives, the wives, the fathers, that was a real concern."  

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Considerable care was also taken to ensure each of the four soldiers was given equal prominence on the memorial, regardless of rank.

Allan said the men had lives and responsibilities beyond their military service.

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“They were not only career soldiers, but they were family men,” he said.

“They had children, they had a house, they had all the normal things that every young couple has.”

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