GIANTS star Tom Green and his father Richard Green, a proud long-serving Australian army officer, have paid a special visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra ahead of the GIANTS’ blockbuster ANZAC Day clash with the Lions at Manuka Oval.
As the GIANTS prepare to play in just their second-ever ANZAC Day fixture, the GIANTS midfielder and his father toured the memorial as they spoke about the significance of the day as well as Richard’s service for Australia.
“So, I joined in ’95 and my first posting was to Townsville to fly Blackhawks with the 5th Aviation Regiment,” Richard shared.
“In fact, Thomas was born in Townsville while we were there on my first posting.
“Since then, we’ve had postings in multiple locations; Townsville, Toowoomba, Darwin, Tamworth and now here to Canberra.”
The elder Green says he feels fortunate for the career he’s had in his service for Australia.
“I’ve been able to, through my military service, travel a lot of the world, and go to a lot of places that needed our help. Whether that be drought relief in Papua New Guinea, or reconstruction in places like East Timor or the Middle East,” he said.
“I consider myself fortunate to have gotten in when I did, to have flown some fantastic aircrafts that I’ve flown, to meet and be associated with great people and lifelong friends, and to be able to provide support to people in Australia and people overseas as well.”
Growing up in a military family, it’s evident that ANZAC Day means a lot to Tom Green.
“It’s a day that’s really special to me, as it is to a lot of Australians, and being able to play is a great honour,” he said.
“It’s just a fantastic occasion and it’s something Australia as a nation does incredibly well is recognising out veterans.
“It’s great to acknowledge Dad in that way [playing on ANZAC Day], but also all those service men and women that have, in particular, given their lives in the many conflicts that Australia has been involved in.
“It’s a great way to recognise them and it’s something really worthwhile and I’m glad the AFL and the GIANTS in particular, do it really really well.”
In honour of the occasion, the GIANTS will proudly wear a special ANZAC Day jumper on Thursday against the Lions.
Created in conjunction with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the help of Tom, the GIANTS’ ANZAC jumper features a striking artistic camouflage print to represent the unique camouflage designs of all three branches of the ADF.
“It’s really nice,” Green said.
“It going to be a really proud moment for myself, and for us as a club, to be able to pull that on on ANZAC Day, and hopefully we put out a really good performance.”
The GIANTS take on the Lions on ANZAC night on Thursday at 7:30pm at Manuka Oval with limited tickets remaining available here.
Now sold out, the best way to access this match is with a GIANTS Flexi 3 membership, providing access to three GIANTS home games of your choice throughout the season including on ANZAC night, Sir Doug Nicholls Round, and the Sydney Derby, available here.
