Reservist Case Studies

“A cross-cultural extravaganza.” This is how Private Ken Nelder describes an average working day as an Army Reserve patrolman in Far North Queensland.

“Patrolling the bush with indigenous people from the Doomadgee Aboriginal Community in the Far North has opened my eyes to the cultural differences and similarities between white Australians and Aboriginals,” Private Nolder said.

“The soldiers I work with in my unit have amazing bushcraft skills. They’ll see an animal from hundreds of yards away and set off at a run for a patrol waypoint that they’ll find unerringly two hours later without needing to bother with a map or a compass.

“In addition to working with people from the Doomadgee Community, I’ve also had some experience alongside Torres Strait Islanders in Charlie Company in the Far North. Ordinarily when Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders get together there’s some rivalry, but when our soldiers get into their uniforms they forget about their cultural differences and work together as a team. We’re all wearing ‘green skins’ when we’re in uniform on patrol.

“Joining the Reserves has given me the opportunity to learn about the Australian bush from people who have grown up here and they’re great blokes into the bargain,” he said.

An engineer working for Osborn Lane Industrial, structural engineers working out of Mt. Isa who have just finished an audit of Xstrata’s lead smelter for wear and tear, Private Nelder joined the Army Reserves two years ago after a long association with Defence that began in high school with the cadets.

“I made a lot of friends in my eight years in the Air Force cadets,” Private Nelder said.

“Many of my friends from cadets went on to study at the Australian Defence Force Academy and I’ve kept in touch with them since school days. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first joined the Reserves and had heard stories about Reservists being untrained cannon fodder”.

Private Nolder’s job in Australia’s defence involves patrolling our coastline for illegal immigrants and drugs and weapons smuggling, an important component of border control and national security that helps make the country safer for everyone.

“In reality there turned out to be a lot of training involved and experiencing leadership has been great for my confidence. Putting responsibility into people’s hands makes them grow and mature as people.”

Ken’s supervisor, Karen Oliver, said his Reserve experience has made a big difference in his effectiveness as a worker.

“When Ken first came to us about joining the Reserve, we weren’t sure what that would entail,” Karen said.

“He came from Toowoomba to Mt. Isa to work with us and we wanted to support him joining up as a way to help him settled into community life here. Mt. Isa is a remote area and we knew Ken was keen to join the Army Reserves so we’ve tried to be as supportive as we can.

“My father was involved in the Army Reserve for many years, so I had some idea of the benefits of having a Reservist on staff. I can give Ken a project and have absolute confidence that he’ll get it done and the Army has added to his abilities to work well with a huge variety of people in cooperative teams.

“Osborn Lane has been happy to give Ken the time he’s needed for training and the Employer Support Payment of more than $1000 a week while he’s away helps to cover staff costs such as overtime payments.

“If all else was equal and a Reservist and a non Reservist applied to join our company, I wouldn’t hesitate to employ the Reservist. The Army Reserve does an important service for the country and my father made some life-long friends from his involvement in Defence,” she said.

Osborn Lane was recently recognised by Defence Reserves Support as a Supportive Employer.

For more information about Reserves service or the obligations of employers of Defence Reservists visit http://www.defencereserves.com/aspx/home.aspx.