Corporal Mark Donaldson is familiar to many Australians for being a war hero and recipient of the Victoria Cross for gallantry in Afghanistan.

Donaldson is happy he is known for those reasons but when he visits Wollongong later this month he also wants to be remembered as an ordinary bloke who inspires others.

The Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment soldier will talk about his life and career at the Legacy Business and Community Lunch at Wollongong's City Diggers on Friday, August 29.

The themes of training and discipline in the army will be an integral part of Donaldson's talk, as well as an important life lesson he learnt in Afghanistan - the power of positive thinking.

"I hope people go away after listening to me and think that's an Australian soldier, what a great guy, but he's also just a normal bloke," he said.

"I hope in the back of their minds they are inspired and can go and do whatever it is they are finding difficult at that time, to perhaps change the way they are doing things for a more positive outcome.

"To find that courage."

The story of Donaldson's remarkable life is itself inspiring. He enlisted in the army in 2002 and joined the elite SAS in 2004.

While serving in Afghanistan in 2008, his unit was ambushed and nine Australian soldiers were wounded.

Donaldson deliberately drew enemy fire on several occasions so his wounded comrades could be moved to safety.

He then ran 80 metres across exposed ground to rescue a wounded coalition force interpreter and carry him to safety.

At one point, Donaldson felt like a round of bullets had come really close to him. It had. A round had gone through his trouser leg without touching him.

Donaldson was awarded the Victoria Cross the following year. He was named 2010 Young Australian of the Year and, in the same year, was promoted to corporal.

Yet it's the prelude to this chapter which shows how far Donaldson has come in his extraordinary journey.

Before joining the army, Donaldson was a troubled young man who at the age of 15 lost his Vietnam veteran father Greg Donaldson, who suffered a massive heart attack.

A few years later his mother Bernadette disappeared, presumed murdered. To this day, she has not been found.

Donaldson can speak from the heart on the subject of Legacy.

"Legacy assisted my family in a time of need," he said of the period after his father's death.

"They were able to provide not only financial assistance at that time but also emotional and welfare support.

"It was great to have a legatee come to the house, make sure everything was all right and check that we were OK.

"I still talk to that legatee, at least once or twice a week. The work they do is important and it can have a lasting effect on the families involved."

Donaldson was a rebellious child and teenager, even before his father's death, and was prone to personal struggles in the years afterwards.

"There was that father figure gap from then onwards and especially at 15, which is critical time for a young Australian male," he said.

"To have that legatee around during that period, it was nice to know there was someone there not to replace my father but to complement and assist.

"To know those people were available, when needed, was a pretty important thing to me."

Donaldson said there were many parallels between military and civilian life, most importantly harnessing the strength of mind.

"One of my biggest issues is seeing other people underestimate their own ability, far too often," he said.

"The military has taught me how to be confident in my own abilities but not to be full of myself.

"If I get a chance to talk to kids I try and get the message across that it's good to be confident, and it's good to be excellent at what you do, but most people will remember you for how you made them feel.

"It's important to maintain humility and a humble approach. Humour will also go a lot further than trying to tell other people how good you are."

As well as the successful military career, Donaldson is a responsible family man - husband to Emma and father to their two children, aged seven and three.

"All that training I've had in counter ambush drills and how to fight defensively comes in handy when I've got two kids attacking me as soon as I walk through the door," Donaldson joked.

"So I know how to set up a defensive line of pillows and blankets.

"But seriously, the army has taught me that you can survive a lot of stuff and you do have resilience and patience and being patient is certainly the key when it comes to dealing with small children."

Donaldson is also the author of The Crossroad, his autobiography written in 2013. He continues to serve in the SAS.

"I have had so many people contact me saying that reading the book has helped them make a difference in their own lives," he said.

"There was a young man who rang a radio station, not long after I had been interviewed about the book, and said that reading the book had helped him change his life."

He said his Wollongong talk will include references to his tours in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and the lessons learnt during his active duty. "I've learnt the importance of simplifying when things get chaotic or difficult," he said.

"I learnt that over there [in Afghanistan] and I've definitely taken it back here.

"I want to inspire people to think about their own lives a little bit more and possibly change something that they feel is able to be changed, that they might not have felt was possible before."