Now Nathan is a Lance Corporal and a section commander with the Direct Fire Support Weapons Unit, he has seen action on Afghanistan, spent time in Malaysia and has just returned from South Korea where he took part in joint exercises with US Marines.

He has also appeared on the front page of an Army magazine, photographed as he led a patrol through a poppy field in Afghanistan, and is currently one of the featured ‘faces’ in the newly-opened Afghanistan section at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Needless to say, his parents Leiane and Peter, are extremely proud of their son.

“It is certainly not easy and there is a lot of worry when he is overseas but overall we are very proud of what Nathan has accomplished since he left school,” Leiane said.

With a grandfather who was in the airforce and another ancestor who was in the Boer War, Nathan had always dreamed of joining the armed forces.

“Everyone wants to serve their country, that’s one of the main reasons I joined,” Nathan told the Guardian. “I like adventure and with it comes job security and a lot of travelling.