General News
14 May, 2025
New Delta Company boss blown away by work ethic of reservists
Major Scott Maxwell said he’d been buoyed by the enthusiasm from the young reservists.
Major Scott Maxwell has travelled the world with the Australian Army but admits there is no place quite like western Queensland.
Born in Winton, raised in Hughenden and schooled in Charters Towers, Major Maxwell began as officer in charge of Delta Company in Mount Isa earlier this year.
He said he was partly inspired to take on the role by the opportunity to mentor our local soldiers, especially First Nations youth.
Major Maxwell said he’d been buoyed by the enthusiasm from some of the young reservists.
With more than 60 per cent of Delta Company reservists being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, Major Maxwell said military surveillance operations in northern Australia were well suited to these young men and women.
“Our job (in Delta company) is to be the first response towards enemy threats ... as required along the northern coastline,” he explained to North West Weekly.
“We primarily focus on reconnaissance, surveillance and community engagement throughout the Gulf of Carpentaria.
“Who better to employ than the experts on the land, who have tens of thousands of years of knowledge about the region.
“In return, we provide a tax-free income, educational benefits and training that they can take back to community.”
Major Maxwell said he received a steady stream of phone calls from willing and keen reservists hoping to be granted an extra day or two of work at the barracks.
He said the army wanted to reward their enthusiasm and initiative and that he looked for opportunities to meet their requests for additional work.
“Some of our members embrace this opportunity with both hands,” he said.
“To give an example, recently I was on Mornington Island when I had one soldier in Mount Isa phone me looking for some work and within an hour we were able to get him and another soldier a day’s work at the barracks preparing vehicles for Anzac Day.
“We have a lot of Delta Company members throwing their hands up for work at the barracks, go on our patrolling operations or training courses because they love it so much.”
The community engagement offensive appears to be working, with growing recruitment numbers and multiple requests from local reservists to serve additional days beyond the number they were initially contracted.
At least seven First Nations soldiers in Delta Company have been recently granted special permission to have their reservist service days extended beyond the usual 100-day annual maximum.
Major Maxwell said another local had even applied to serve beyond 150 days.
“We can achieve more as a company by having soldiers more available and willing to do those extra days,” he said.
“We want a presence in community – I am very happy when I have the chance to explain to people what the ADF can provide to the local region and in turn on how the ADF can best support communities.”
Major Maxwell has multi-generational links to the Winton and Boulia region and says he grew up with a strong connection to the North West.
He is the son of well-known livestock haulage operator Henry “Cam” Maxwell, who sadly passed away in a motorbike accident near Charters Towers last year.
Major Maxwell, who has served numerous deployments including to Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor Leste, Egypt and the Solomon Islands during a two-decade career, said he was happy to have returned to the North West landscapes.
“I always wanted to get into these rural positions – I saw the option to come back to Mount Isa and I thought ‘I want to get back to the North West dirt’,” he said.
“I know a lot of people from the region still – so coming back out here was the best I could do to be a country boy again while remaining in the Australian Army.”
