Standing on the shoulders of giants

Private Edward George Duggan of Pelverata, Tasmania served with the 12th Infantry Battalion of the First World War from 10 February, 1917. The 27-year-old unmarried soldier survived the Great War, and despite being a victim of gassing, went on to marry and have six children.

Private Duggan’s eldest son Terence “Dixie” Duggan followed in his father’s footsteps to serve in the Second World War and the Korean War, as did his son Bruce Edward Duggan when he served in the Royal Australian Navy for 21 years.

The tradition continued with Bruce’s daughter, Private Tenille Duggan, who joined the Army Reserve and served as movements coordinator in the United Arab Emirates. 

Now, her eldest son Brendan Carrick is hoping to keep the Duggan line in the Australian Defence Force for a fifth generation – albeit on a slight detour through university.

Growing up on the Puckapunyal Army Base and being surrounded by generations of service men and women, a career with the Australian Defence Force almost seemed a rite of passage. 

When the town of Seymour in central Victoria unveiled a Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, Brendan was asked to carry a flag in honour of the fallen soldiers.

“I remember at the time holding that flag and I thought, ‘This represents a young man who died’. As an 11-year-old that really does leave an impact on you,” Brendan said.

Although eager to serve in the armed forces, in 2020, Brendan decided to give university a go. He enrolled in a Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Global Studies at ACU, majoring in politics and international relations, but realised early on that a business degree wasn’t piquing his interest. 

His mum, who had started at a nursing degree at ACU through the Student Veteran Transition Program, discovered a new arts stream that also offered a generous scholarship funded by the Ramsay Centre for Western civilisation.

“The chance to undertake a more traditional study program at university, that is, a course that very much aligns with what universities have historically been about, which is the humanities, was really exciting to me,” Brendan said of ACU’s Western Civilisation Program.

Edward George Duggan and Terence 'Dixie' Duggan.

Brendan joined the first cohort of ACU’s new Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) and loved the exposure to ideas and movements that have shaped the history of the West – both for good and for worse. 

"We came in without the context for a lot of people who have influenced revolutionary change throughout history, and to be exposed to them and see how their ideas continue to shape our world, it leaves you very fulfilled,” Brendan said. 

“History and politics are something I've always been good at so it felt like a natural fit, but I realised I had made the right decision when I noticed I was surrounded by young people who all wanted to promote the humanities as they have long existed in countries such as Australia.

“The humanities has been on the decline in Australia, and not just Australia, but broadly speaking in the developed world, and this does lead to a loss of contextual history and intellectual inheritance.”

Giving back to those who served the nation

During his studies, Brendan has never forgotten the sacrifices that four generations of his family have made, not to mention the half a million people who have served on the ADF. He started volunteering with ACU’s student veteran services to offer his experience as a family member of veterans.

“I initially started just doing a few shifts here and there, volunteering to be at their events because it helps the student veterans when they have someone who, while they may not be a veteran, is certainly more exposed to that lifestyle than the average civilian,” Brendan said.

“Especially in the wake of the Brereton Report, and the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, that really serves as motivation to myself and to others to help in whatever capacity we can.”

In 2024, Brendan’s volunteering efforts earned him the Student Veteran Impact Award – Family at the ACU Student Veteran Impact Awards. At the forefront of his mind that night was his great grandfather Terence Duggan’s service and sacrifice.

“I wore my great grandfather's medals that night. My thoughts often were on him,” Brendan said.

“He was a little bit younger than me when he joined during the Second World War. After the war, he was redeployed with the British Commonwealth Forces to the Korean peninsula when the Korean War began.

“He was someone who was always very kind to me and whose story I didn't really find out until I was older.

“He was in the back of my mind because I thought if he had died, I wouldn't be here – neither would my mum, my granddad, his son. I thought, how many men and women have died so that we can be here?”

Getting to know the monarchy

Having graduated from his undergraduate degree, Brendan is now completing ACU’s Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation) honours program. His research thesis will focus on another of his family’s loves – the monarchy.

“My area of interest is actually in monarchical studies, also more broadly governmental structures of humanity, but I find monarchy the most fascinating,” Brendan said.

Brendan with his mother Tenille and brother Mitchell.

Raised in a family of loyal monarchists, it was no surprise that when King Charles III and Queen Camilla made their visit to Australia in 2024, Brendan was among the crowds, imploring for them to visit Queensland when they next tour Australia. 

And on the day the world mourned the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Brendan was at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, inscribing the first signature on the Book of Condolences to be sent to the Royal Family. For Brendan, the Late Queen was one of the most significant figures in the history of the West.

“She was a connection to the past and a symbol of enduring stability,” he said. 

“She weathered all sorts of crises, both personal and international with great bravery and Stoicism. In such a world of rapid change, she was a constant, and it was very sad to lose that.”

Queen Elizabeth II also provided a significant connection to Brendan’s great grandfather.

“In the army, my great grandfather swore first to Queen Elizabeth II’s father, King George VI, and then during the Korean War he swore to Her Late Majesty the Queen,” he said.

And like Terence Duggan, Brendan hopes to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the new King of Australia, Charles III. In the meantime, he’s soaking up his life-changing detour through the history of Western civilisation and continuing to give back to those who have fought for Australia.

“Once Covid-19 ended I had intended to go into the ADF, but this has reoriented the course of my life,” Brenan said.

“I do still intend to go in, this has just given me something that I didn't expect to ever have.”

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