Lt Fussell, 25, died when an improvised explosive device detonated during a foot patrol in Afghanistan. It was hard to see any positive outcome from the passing of a much loved and admired young man with his life ahead of him. But for John Bale, Michael’s classmate at The Armidale School (TAS), good friend and Army colleague, there came inspiration and motivation to start Soldier On.

The civilian charity supports servicemen and servicewomen of the Australian Defence Force who have been wounded physically or mentally in the service of their country.

“Fuss’s tragic death was the main catalyst for the launch of Soldier On,” John told The Express. “The question that I continued to ask myself was,‘what could have I done, if Fuss had by a miracle, survived his extensive injuries?’

“My short service and that of many more experienced friends has shown me there is a real want by the community to help, but until now there was no direct way in which they could.

“Soldier On has changed that.”

John and Michael had a lot in common during their tim at TAS.

Both achieved well academically, both loved sport, both were members of the cadet unit, and both had their hearts set on a career in the military.

For John, that career was almost preordained: his great grandfather served in World War I, his grandfather was at the fall of Singapore and survived being a POW in Changi prison, while his father is a Vietnam veteran.

After joining the Army, John and Michael attended the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and the Royal Military College. Eventually, both were posted to Afghanistan.

“Michael’s death hit all of his friends very hard,” John said.

Two years on, John and fellow soldier Cavin Wilson decided they wanted to give something back to their mates and colleagues who had been wounded.

There was no charity that directly supported wounded soldiers, so Soldier On (www.soldieron.org.au) was born.

John describes the response as “truly amazing" - and that’s even before the public launch on April 24.