Honouring ANZAC Day: A Bluerydge Tribute to Service, Sacrifice and Legacy

ANZAC Day is a time to reflect on the meaning of service, sacrifice, and the ANZAC values that continue to shape Australia today. It is also a reminder of the individual stories that define the collective ANZAC history.  

As a veteran-owned company working alongside Government, Defence and Industry through our cybersecurity and technology work, Bluerydge is proud to carry forward the spirit of service and protection, both in uniform and in the cyber realm.  

This year, we share a personal story from inside our Bluerydge team. Bluerydge's Steven Coomber’s great-grandfather was a WW1 Veteran. 

Here is his story.

John “Jack” William Blight, was a brave Trooper in the 12th Light Horse Regiment, a mounted infantry unit that fought at Gallipoli in 1915.  

 

With his regimental number 84 assigned, 28-year-old Jack embarked on his journey from Sydney on board the troopship SS Suevic on Friday 11 June 1915, almost a year after the war began. 

 

Jack’s unit was made up of around 500 men, mainly volunteers from rural NSW.  

 

A member of machine gun section and "A" squadron, Jack fought the enemy under harsh conditions on the ground in Gallipoli, mainly dismounted from his horse in an environment of trench warfare that saw significant casualties. 

 

On his mission, Jack contracted a near fatal case of typhoid fever and wasn’t expected to survive.  

 

After 5-months stationed in Egypt, Jack returned home safely to NSW where he continued to serve in the Army. In 1916 he married Isabella Oxford and built a quiet life on the land. 

 

 

Lest we forget.