DANIEL COSTELLOE

Invictus Australia Sports Festival 2026

ADF Service 
I enlisted in the Australian Army in 1991 when I was 17 as a Royal Australian Engineer in the Corp of RAE.  I served for a total of 35 years in the Army as an EOD Technician, and during this time I was fortunate to travel all over the world to various countries and work with numerous Defence forces.  
I completed various postings and moved up the ranks from Sapper to Sergeant. In 2007, I was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2, and posted to my first Special Forces (SF) unit in the Incident Response Regiment.  
As part of this role, I was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper as a lead Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)Technician. I deployed a second time to the war in the Middle East in 2009, where I sadly lost one of my soldiers as we were disarming an Improvised Explosive Device. I remained within the Special Forces command until I was medically discharged last year, in November 2025.   
 
Other information:  
Now that I am retired, I spend my days investing in my children and my hobbies, which consist of building Technic LEGO, stand-up paddleboarding and talking to my friends. I have four children, two daughters and two sons. However, we lost one of our daughters to SIDS when she was a baby.    
 
Age: 52  
 
Hometown: 
Oakey, Queensland  
 
Current Town:
 Melbourne, Victoria 
 
What is the nature of your injury or illness?  
I have sustained numerous injuries during my time in the military; the main injuries I have include PTSD, CTE,  depression, and a lower back injury. My CTE is from a prolonged, explosive concussive injury due to the explosive shock waves I was subject to over my 35-year career as an EDO Technician and my time with the RAE corps. My depression and PTSD developed following the death of my soldier and numerous other life-threatening injuries to other comrades. 
 
What role has sport played in your rehabilitation?  
Over the last ten years, I haven't participated in any sports, which has had a massive impact on my mental and physical health. After attending the first training camp for a possible spot on the team for the Germany Sport Festival, I have realised how important physical training and sport are for my mental and physical health. It pulls me out of my shell and allows me to connect with fellow humans again. For a very long time, I retreated inside my home and did not interact with the outside world.  

How have you stayed connected to sport?   
Sport was a major part of my life growing up. I played soccer, cricket and athletics for many years and was fortunate enough to represent the Townsville Soccer team at the State National Titles. Unfortunately, recurring injuries and a serious calf injury eventually forced me to step away from sport around 2016. 
For a long time, I wasn't involved in any organised sport. However, after attending the first training camp for a potential place on the Germany Sports Festival team, I rediscovered how much I enjoyed being active and competing. The experience reminded me of the positive impact sport can have on my mental and physical health. Since then, I have worked hard to stay active through training and participation in the Adaptive Sports Program, which included travelling to Dusseldorf, Germany as part of Team Australia for the Invictus Australia Sports Festival 2026.  
 
How did it feel being told you will compete for Team Australia? 
I was absolutely shocked, to be totally honest. As with everyone, there is a little bit of hope that you would make the team, but I didn't set myself up mentally to be picked to avoid disappointment. I thought there was no way I was making the team, but I was completely wrong.  
 
What will ‘winning’ look like for you at the Invictus Australia Sports Festival?    
Being part of the Australian Team and representing the Australian Veteran community. It feels surreal to be part of the team.