Puckapunyal Army Tank Museum curator featured on The Chase

Graeme was hoping to use the money to visit Tank Fest in the UK, a large festival dedicated to military armour and its history.

Unfortunately, the Tiger Mum was too strong for Graeme and his team and they walked away empty-handed.

But Graeme said he was grateful for the experience and enjoyed the opportunity to promote the Tank Museum on national TV.

“My wife, Rachael, and I have been huge fans of the show for a long time and we always play along at home,” Graeme said.

“I said to my wife I would love to be on it and she went ahead and filled out the forms. I got a call to go for an audition and found myself in a room with 25 other people.

“They fired some questions at us and got us to talk about ourselves. I was lucky enough to make it through the audition process.”

Graeme said he and his teammates spent several hours filming the episode of the show under the bright lights of the TV studio.

“It was all very nerve-wracking to begin with, but the cast and crew of the show are very accommodating and helped us settle in,” he said.

“Andrew O’Keefe is very passionate about the show and it’s not long before you get swept up in his genuine enthusiasm.

“It was disappointing to get to the final chase and not come away with the money, but the Tiger Mum did her job well and caught us.

“I’m still planning to head to Tank Fest at some point in the future when everything with the pandemic calms down.”

When he’s not on national television, Graeme spends his days as curator of the Puckapunyal Army Tank Museum.

Previously in the army for 20 years, Graeme got out of uniform 18 months ago and took on the curator role.

“Our mission at the museum is to preserve, exhibit and interpret armoured vehicles, artefacts, icons and memorabilia in order to promote and commemorate Australia's Lighthorse and armoured heritage,” he said.

“The museum collection ranges from the First World War through to today’s 21st century advancements.

“The museum features exhibitions focusing on the history of operations, from WWI through to our current deployments such as Afghanistan, as well as a small arms display.

“The outside exhibition area features more than 80 armoured vehicles and anti-tank weapons.”

A self-proclaimed tragic for military history and armoured vehicles, Graeme said he couldn’t imagine himself in a better job.

“I spend every day looking at tanks and preserving the history for future generations to enjoy. It’s a fantastic thing to do for a living,” he said.

“While the museum has closed due to the pandemic, it created the opportunity to rotate the display and catch up on restoration projects.

“Every one of these vehicles has a story that we want to tell and we’re looking forward to getting the public back in here to tell some of the new ones.”

For more information about the museum, visit australianarmytankmuseum.com.au