ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Our thanks to the official Army Soldier's Newspaper for the following articles
ADF NURSES PROVIDING WORLD-CLASS HEALTH SERVICES
Michelle Hoare
Being a nursing officer is a privilege. It is about delivering high-quality, compassionate and timely health care to our people.
– Lt-Col Jamie Schmidt
Lt-Col Jamie Schmidt and her husband, Lt-Col Ricky Schmidt, with their two children.
LT-COL Jamie Schmidt’s 23-year nursing career has been dynamic, diverse and deeply rewarding.
“As a nurse in the Australian Defence Force, you have the unique opportunity to balance hands-on clinical care for our soldiers, sailors and aviators combined with leadership and management responsibilities,” Lt-Col Schmidt said.
“You could be providing care in a field hospital, working in a pre-hospital or retrieval environment, or delivering care in a garrison health facility, which is similar to a multi-disciplinary GP practice.”
There are more than 800 registered nurses serving the ADF across Australia and around the world, with an additional 400 civilian nurses working in garrison health units.
ADF medics, who hold enrolled nursing qualifications, provide further care and support in the Defence health workforce.
On International Nurses Day last month, RAdm Sonya Bennett, Surgeon General of the ADF and Cmdr Joint Health Command, thanked nurses for their work in ensuring the ADF received the best holistic care.
“To the nurses of the Australian Defence Force, we offer our heartfelt thanks for your selfless service. Your professionalism and compassion reflect the best of Australia,” RAdm Bennett said.
“We are deeply grateful for the role you play in supporting the health and wellbeing of our Defence personnel.
“A critical part of this is ensuring our domestic force posture is supported by world-class health services, helping maintain operational readiness and ensuring our military’s success on the global stage.”
Lt-Col Schmidt said her continued service was personal.
“A family member of mine was wounded on operations and still receives medical treatment 15 years later,” she said.
“I have witnessed the critical importance of having a strong, responsive and well-prepared health system. This experience continues to drive me every day to make a difference.
‘“Being a nursing officer is a privilege. It is about delivering highquality, compassionate and timely
health care to our people, whether in garrison, on operations, or in austere and challenging environments.”
Lt-Col Schmidt said it was often hard to balance work and home life.
“My husband is also a serving member and we work hard to balance our calendars to meet both family and work commitments,” she said.
“This is often challenging as we have a young family.”
Before joining Army, Lt-Col Schmidt excelled at rowing, swimming, cross-country running and surf lifesaving.
“I came from a competitive sports background and the ADF offered an excellent opportunity to continue sport at a high level while building a meaningful career and serving our country,” she said.
“I enjoy staying physically fit and being supported to do this, plus having the opportunity to live and experience different places.
“My current position is as a health adviser in Army Headquarters, and I was recently appointed the Deputy Head of Corps for the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps. This plays a key leadership and representational role within the corps, helping to oversee the professional standards, welfare and career development of nursing officers within Army.
Bridging Faith Across Services
Photos: Cpl Jack Pearce
Fiji Defence Force personnel attend a church service on board HMAS Choules in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, conducted by Chap Kristen Dillon.
A chaplain’s role on deployment can be diverse. Capt Katy Manning reports.
ON the bridge of HMAS Choules, with Pacific voices rising in song and the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby’s coastline in view, Chap Kristen Dillon witnessed how faith can unite people across nations.
Stationed with the ADF during PNG’s 50 years of Independence celebration week, Chap Dillon led prayers and shared communion alongside colleagues from Fiji, PNG, New Zealand, Tonga, the United States, the United Kingdom and Vanuatu. “My job is to care for the soldiers, for their welfare, to encourage them, give them hope, be available to them and journey with them as part of this experience,” Chap Dillon said.
That support extended beyond the Australian contingent.
Working with the ship’s maritime spiritual wellbeing officer, Chap Dillon helped bridge faith across services while connecting with PNGDF chaplains during the week of celebrations.
Together, they enabled ADF members to take part in services across Port Moresby, while holding gatherings on board Choules with personnel from across the Pacific.
“It’s so lovely to be welcomed anywhere in the world as family in faith,” Chap Dillon said.
“PNG is an example to us of how diversity and unity can really work together, and I think that’s an example of the church as well.”
That sense of connection extends beyond PNG. Through the Pacific Defence Faith Network, chaplains from across the region share challenges, support one another and learn from each other’s different approaches to service and spirituality.
The celebrations also gave time for reflection. At Bomana War Cemetery, Chap Dillon joined a service remembering the Battle of Kokoda, supporting ADF members who discovered family links to those laid to rest there.
“Three of our crew members have relatives buried there,” she said.
“It was a real privilege to commemorate that battle, where Papua New Guineans served bravely alongside Australians, where their efforts saved so many lives, but lives were also lost.”
Female Sappers Share Common Ground
Leut-Cmdr Nic Hawkins
Capt Chamika Kumaranathunga and
Col Amanda Johnston
during their meeting
at the
Sri Lanka School of Military Engineering
Photo: LSIS Stittichai Sakonpoonpol.
MEMBERS of 2CER recently engaged in a knowledge-sharing initiative with the Sri Lanka School of Military Engineering.
A highlight of the engagement was the meeting between Defence Adviser to Sri Lanka and Maldives Col Amanda Johnston and Capt Chamika Kumaranathunga, the first Sri Lankan woman to qualify as an EOD operator.
Col Johnston, an Army engineer and former CO of 6ESR, relished the opportunity to connect with the trailblazing captain.
“I was honoured to be able to meet and then share some of my past experiences with Captain Kumaranathunga, particularly commanding Operation Render Safe in 2014,” Col Johnston said.
“Indo-Pacific Endeavour is the Australian Defence Force’s flagship regional activity, and here in Sri Lanka, it is focused on knowledge-sharing and building people-to-people links.
“Being able to connect with future leaders like Captain Kumaranathunga is really rewarding.”
As part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour, engineers from Australia and Sri Lanka exchanged expertise in IED search and tactics.
One of the most valuable exchanges during the collaboration was Australia’s insight into humanitarian approaches to demining.
The lessons and tactics learned concerning the responsible management of landmines and unexploded ordnance are crucial for both nations, particularly in ensuring the safety of civilian populations affected by past conflicts.
Discussions also included contemporary engineering concepts, most notably the use of drones, with lessons drawn from the conflict in Ukraine where technology plays an increasingly pivotal role in enhancing capability and efficiency.
All-Women Patrol A First For Regiment
Cpl Jacob Joseph
WO2 Anne Schwartz gives a briefing to 51FNQR Yotam Wanch patrol
Members in the Cape York region and (below) Pte Yasmin Wasiu refills one of the patrol’s vehicles.
A GROUP of eight women from 51FNQR recently completed the first all-women patrol across the Cape York region of Queensland.
The patrol, called Yotam Wanch (meaning “many women” in local Wik Mungkan language), set off for five days to visit remote communities and a careers expo in Weipa.
From June 1-6, Yotam Wanch personnel honed the skills they need to patrol the country’s north.
With an area of operations of more than 640,000 square kilometres, 51FNQR soldiers are the eyes and ears in some of the most remote and hard-to-reach areas in Australia.
From off-road driving, tactical patrolling, reporting and community engagement, patrol leader WO2 Anne Schwartz said the women could focus on training in a culturally safe environment.
She said cultural norms could be a barrier for Indigenous female soldiers.
“They wanted to do more things together as women,” WO2 Schwartz said.
“There’s respect between genders, but some of the women can get a bit shy due to their cultural upbringing around the blokes and male instructors.
“The purpose of this was to create a better way to integrate and give them confidence for future patrols.”
Travelling from Weipa around Cape York, Yotam Wanch visited three remote communities.
The soldiers spoke with school children, community leaders, rangers, landowners and government officials.
WO2 Schwartz said the reaction from communities was positive when they saw the women handling traditionally male roles.
“We had a vehicle mechanic who was originally from Mapoon. If we had a breakdown, we could fix it ourselves, and we all know how to drive the vehicles,” she said.
“We were saying to the kids, these are some of the things you will learn and get support from Army to do it.”
But the greatest benefit could be summed up in the experiences of one of the patrol members, a new mother.
Spr Courtney Frape recently transferred from full-time service after maternity leave and joined the regiment as a reservist.
Yotam Wanch gave her a space where she could express her feelings about being away from her new family since returning to work.
“Now she feels supported,” WO2 Schwartz said.
“She’s happy to get back to her job going out on patrol and doing further training where she’ll be away from her family.
“Her first time away was in a supported environment.”
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