He’s come a long way from teaching Brimbank kids how to swim, but former Taylors Lakes resident Luis Darcy is still helping the next generation.
The Australian army sapper and member of 21 construction squadron is part of a contingent deployed to Timor-Leste that is building a kitchen and dining area for
school children at Dili’s Comoro Intermediate School.
It’s part of Exercise Pacific Partnership 14, a US-sponsored humanitarian exercise aimed at strengthening international relationships in the Asia-Pacific.
Darcy, who was born in Uruguay and came to Australia aged 15, was well prepared for overcoming language barriers, working alongside the Timor-Leste defence force engineers.
“We’ve all become really good mates,’’ Darcy says.
‘‘Even if we don’t understand everything that we say to each other, we all really appreciate having them around and they put in just as hard as we do.”
A former Copperfield College student who joined the army as an electrical engineer after graduating in 2004, Darcy says it’s his first time working alongside the US navy.
“It’s been great working with other defence forces.
“Everyone has been working so hard and we’ve managed to have everyone focus on achieving a good result on our building project.
“I always wanted to be an electrician and it was great doing my training with the army and getting paid well, too. In my opinion, there’s no better way to do an apprenticeship.”
