Army injury worsens as years passed

John Williamson is not sure where he and his wife would be without the RSL.

A serious training accident with the 1st Armoured Regiment at Puckapunyal, Victoria, took a heavy physical toll that has worsened over time.

The then 23-year-old was riding on top of an armoured personnel carrier when the vehicle nosedived into a ditch at high speed.

He was supposed to be carrying out a reconnaissance mission before his section went in under cover of darkness.

But when the APC ran into the unseen ditch, the heavy-duty cargo hatch slammed into his back.

Mr Williamson has since learnt of other cases of a malfunctioning hatch hitting a soldier but they were fatal. "The spring failed and the hatch slammed me into the back of the turret," he said.

"We went into another ditch and this time it hit me side-on as I was falling and pushed my shoulders together under my chin. I remember I couldn't put my head down because it felt like my shoulders were sitting underneath my chin."

Remarkably, it seemed as if Mr Williamson had escaped with only a few aches and pains.

However, as the years passed the soreness became harder to ignore.

He worked for decades after the accident with corrective services and Pilbara TAFE but his condition became debilitating.

Now 59, Mr Williamson struggles to do any sort of manual labour and loses his voice after talking for an extended period.

"I have some difficulties breathing and the more I talk, the worse my voice gets," he said.

"I've got no collarbone joint in my right arm and basically no bicep, so it's not good for a lot."

If not for the RSL, Mr Williamson believes he would not be getting the totally and permanently incapacitated pension.

The Clarkson resident said it was only through the RSL's steadfast advocacy that he won his case at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Mr Williamson's mind sometimes drifts back to the accident and the pain it has caused but he has plenty of reasons to smile.

He met his wife Pamela in Puckapunyal and they are about to have their eighth grandchild.