Death smackdown

Crayon artwork on bed sheet depicting an Australian Medic holding a staff (or rod) with two entwined snakes and wings. "Death Smackdown" was produced by Sgt Greg Dickie while on one of his first deployments in Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG). Dickie commented that he created the work to "keep his mind busy", and the composition initially started to develop through some rough sketches. The central character of the Medic was chosen to represent an easily identifiable figure in the Defence Force as someone who saves lives. His call sign PK, Pahpah Kilo, Kilo is the generic call sign for all medics. As Dickie commented "it captures what Medics in the Australian Defence Force try and achieve every day. Sometimes they must possess 'godlike' skills and deliver them swiftly in order to save lives."

The work is both a memorial to Dickie's deployment and a dedication to the SOTG. It is anecdotal in its composition, riddled with inside jokes and references to Dickie's experience in Afghanistan. The staff, or rod, being plunged downward entwined with snakes and wings, pays homage to Greek mythology and the gods Hermes and Aesculpaius. Revered by medical circles, their symbols are associated with hospitals, pharmacies, medicine and medical practices. The blood on the pile of rocks in the corner makes reference to an event witnessed by Dickie, when fellow Medic fell off the back of a Bush master and knocked himself unconscious. Other more humorous quips include the sapphire gemstones. A few of Dickie's friends became quite obsessed with buying gemstones from local markets and spent afternoons researching how they would make their fortunes back home.