Timothy Aplin, known as “Tim”, was born in May 1972, the only son of Margaret Aplin of Brisbane, Queensland.
He spent most of his formative years surrounded by a large extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncles in the Western suburbs of Brisbane.
In the mid-1980s Tim travelled with his mother to Europe, where he relished visits to the Imperial War Museum and the National Army Museum in London, as well as the Arc de Triumph and Musée de l’Armée in Paris.
According to Margaret, “Tim was letting me know where his future was heading”.
After completing year 12, Tim studied Agricultural Science at Gatton College, Brisbane, before enlisting in the Australian Army under the Ready Reserves Scheme in February 1992.
After training at Kapooka and Singleton, he served as a private in the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, rising to the rank of corporal.
After 12 months of full-time service Tim went part-time and for the next two years continued studying in Brisbane.
He enlisted in the Regular Army in 1995 and was posted to 1RAR in Townsville, fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a full-time soldier.
There he met his first wife, whom he married in April 1998, and they soon began a family.
In 2000 the couple welcomed their daughter followed by their son in 2002.
Tim developed into a proficient soldier. Rising to the rank of sergeant, he deployed to East Timor in 2000 to help provide security during the country’s transition to independence.
He went with 2RAR to Iraq in 2003, forming part of the first security detachment to ensure the safety of Australian government and military personnel in Baghdad following the overthrow of Ba’athist dictator Saddam Hussein.
On his return to Townsville Tim remained with 2RAR with one of his appointments the Sergeant of 2 RAR Pioneers.
Tim’s first marriage ended after his return, although the two remained good friends and he continued to cherish his time spent with his two children.
Tim, at the age of 36, was determined to undertake the Special Forces selection process, and after a gruelling six-week selection and training course he qualified for entry into 4RAR (Commando), the now 2 Commando Regiment.
On the day Tim was offered his entry to 4RAR (Commando) he was also offered his promotion to Warrant Officer, 2 RAR.  Tim chose the Commandos.
Based at Holsworthy in Sydney, Tim willingly accepted a reduction in rank to Private, whereupon he trained as a team demolitions specialist and deployed to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group in January 2009.
Based at Camp Russell at the multinational task force base at Tarin Kot, Tim was involved in counter-insurgency operations in Uruzgan and adjoining provinces in southern Afghanistan.
At that time the Commandos were involved in heavy fighting in neighboring Helmand province in an effort to disrupt the supply of arms feeding the insurgency in Uruzgan.
After a brief return to Australia in 2009, Tim deployed once again to Afghanistan, where the Special Operations Task Group continued to target the insurgency.
In Operation Hamkani, a four-day disruption operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of northern Kandahar province, the Commandos contributed to the defeat of more than 100 Taliban insurgents.
For this, Special Operations Command received the first battle honour awarded to an Australian Army unit since the Vietnam War.
In the early hours of 21 June 2010 an American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed while transporting Australian commandos near Shah Wali Kot.
Among the 14 casualties on board was Private Timothy Aplin, who was one of three Australians who died in the crash.
He was brought home and buried with full military honours in the Native Garden at the Mount Gravatt Crematorium in Brisbane.
He was 38 years old.
700 mL 43%  ABV. 
rum aged between two years and 12 years
This is a blend of no less than 17 different rums from a multitude of different distilleries, geographically located around the world.