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Matthew Fuery, who grew up in Redcliffe, served as Reviewing Officer at an Army promotion parade where his youngest son Joel was among the graduates completing their first leadership course.
The Warrant Officer Class One stood on the parade ground at Gallipoli Barracks watching Lance Corporal Joel Fuery march out after finishing the Subject One Corporal Course, a moment that blended professional duty with personal pride. For both father and son, the day created a memory that connects their separate Army journeys.
Matthew Fuery has served in the Australian Army since 1992, building a career that has taken him from his Redcliffe upbringing through more than three decades of military service. Standing as Reviewing Officer at his son’s parade brought those years into sharp focus.
When Professional Role Meets Family Connection
Joel Fuery learned his father would be the Reviewing Officer while out on Exercise ANZAC. The Directing Staff told him during field training, and his first reaction was disbelief.
He thought they were joking. When they kept insisting it was real, the significance of what was about to happen started settling in. His father would be there on the parade ground, not just as family support but in an official capacity that recognized both Joel’s achievement and Matthew’s rank.
For Matthew Fuery, the role prompted reflection on his own progression through Army ranks. He completed his own Subject One Corporal Course years earlier, back when Joel was still young. Now he was watching his son complete the same milestone, the first step into junior leadership that every Australian Army soldier takes when moving beyond basic service.
The Subject One Corporal Course marks the transition point where soldiers begin leading others. It’s where technical skills meet responsibility for teams, where following orders expands into giving them. Joel finishing this course meant he was stepping into the same leadership pathway his father had walked for over 30 years.
A Redcliffe Family’s Military Tradition
Matthew Fuery’s journey began in the bayside suburb of Redcliffe before he embarked on his military career in 1992. His son Joel has now followed into Army service, creating a family connection that spans generations and links back to the Moreton Bay area.
The parade at Gallipoli Barracks brought that connection into clear view. Matthew standing in his role as Warrant Officer Class One, Joel marching past as a newly promoted Lance Corporal completing his leadership qualification. The formality of the parade ground didn’t erase the personal significance of a father watching his son reach a milestone he understood intimately.
For Joel, knowing his father was there in such an important role made the day memorable beyond the usual satisfaction of completing a demanding course. The parade ground can feel impersonal during official ceremonies, but having Matthew Fuery as Reviewing Officer changed that dynamic entirely.
What This Moment Means
Army families often share the experience of service across generations, but rarely does the timing align for a father to officially review his son’s promotion parade. The moment required Matthew Fuery’s career progression to place him in a position of sufficient rank, Joel’s training to reach completion at the right time, and Army’s willingness to assign Matthew to the role despite the personal connection.
For Redcliffe residents, the story shows how local upbringings can lead to careers that create these unexpected intersections of professional achievement and family pride. Matthew Fuery’s three decades of service started with a young person from the Moreton Bay area joining the Australian Army. Now his son has reached the same transition point into leadership that shapes military careers.
The Subject One Corporal Course that Joel completed prepares soldiers for their first leadership roles, teaching them how to manage teams under pressure and make decisions that affect others. It’s where Army service shifts from individual performance to collective responsibility. Matthew Fuery completed that same course when his career was beginning. Watching Joel finish it brought both men’s service paths together on a single parade ground.
Published 1-February-2026.
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