Troy Rodgers photographs

Contemporary collections of Australian service personnel are rare but the State Library of Queensland has been blessed with this digital archive from veteran soldier and former official Army photographer, Troy Rodgers.

Troy was born in 1971, in the remote township of Exmouth, Western Australia. His father served with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). After moving to Queensland, Troy was also drawn to enlist, initially as a Reservist with the 25th Battalion Royal Queensland Regiment based in Toowoomba, the same battalion that his great grandfather had served in during World War One.

Troy later enlisted in the Australian Regular Army, 6th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) and after six years as a Rifleman, transferred into Army Public Relations Service as an official Army photographer.

Many of Troy's images capture Australian troops in what were inherently dangerous regions, facilitating reconstruction, mentoring and training, all the while in constant danger. His images depict the skill of his fellow soldiers, the threat of danger, and the persistence of humanity, among daunting landscapes and the machinery of war.

Troy served overseas in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville Island, East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq, before he was discharged in Townsville where he continued as a civilian news video cameraman for WIN TV and as a news photographer with the Townsville Bulletin.

Selected images from this archive have been included in the digital installation at Queensland's state war memorial, Anzac Square in Brisbane.

View the full collection of photographs: 31926 Troy Rodgers collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland

Further reading

• Flying High with the RAAF Roulettes  from Contact magazine
• Shooting Afghanistan - ABC North Queensland

Marg Powell - Library Technician, State Library of Queensland