Gerhard grew up on cattle stations in the Gulf country and is a natural bushman. He joined the Army in 2000 where he served for 21 years.
He was a specialist Sergeant Gunnery Instructor in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps where he taught soldiers to employ and fight armoured vehicles.
He later transferred to the Australian Army Aviation Corps where he was engaged as an aircrewman and loadmaster in Taipan helicopters. He completed jungle survival courses as part of his qualification for this role.
Gerhard deployed to East Timor in 2002 and 2006 and saw active service in Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2010 and 2015.
His affinity for the outdoors and physical challenges saw him trek Kokoda in 2024. He instantly fell in love with the country. Being an ex-defence member and understanding the historical significance of Kokoda, saw him want to impart this relevance to future trekkers willing to experience a bucket list challenge.
When he is not leading treks he lives in Townsville with his beautiful wife Bianca and has two girls Amelia and Frankie.