#OurVeterans – Dean Marchini
‘Ultimately, everything worked out for the best,’ says veteran Dean Marchini as he reflects on his discharge from the Navy, which has now led him to heading up the regional sales and marketing department for one of Australia’s best-known holiday destinations, Hamilton Island.
While serving, Dean was trained as an Electronic Warfare Sailor at HMAS Watson, the Navy’s Radar Training School at Sydney’s South Head. The role involved using a range of technology to identify and locate threats. He then shifted roles to help with the Junior Warfare Officers Application Course.
Dean was also posted to the guided-missile frigate HMAS Melbourne.
One of his highlights while serving was receiving HMAS Watson’s Commanding Officer’s Commendation in 2014.
While Dean’s military career was cut short due to a pre-existing medical condition that he was not aware of before signing up to serve, he has taken things in his stride since leaving in 2015 after around three years of service.
At the time, Dean said that discharge ‘completely turned his life upside down’ as he had planned a long career in the military. But with the help of transition agency Trans-civ, he was able to convert his Navy skills to a civilian role.
This saw him initially secure employment with some of Australia’s biggest airlines, before making the decision to relocate to live and work on Hamilton Island.
Dean is proud of the life he has established on the Island, working hard to get promoted at Hamilton Island Enterprises and developing solid working relationships with most of the Island’s workforce.
In his spare time, you’ll see Dean on Whitehaven beach, setting a new personal best on the Island’s running tracks or capturing stunning photography and drone footage (one of his favourite past times).
Thank you for your service, Dean.
Top: Dean with his father Mick on the Hamilton Island golf course
Bottom: Dean next to an MRH-90 Taipan helicopter at HMAS Watson, 2013