Jul 10 (edited) in Becoming a Better Candidate
Why You Should Volunteer With Disaster Relief Australia
If I were to suggest any organization for a potential Australian Defence Force candidate to volunteer with, it would undoubtedly be Disaster Relief Australia.
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) is a volunteer-led organization that brings hope to communities devastated by disaster by uniting military veterans, emergency responders, and motivated civilians to deploy relief teams domestically and internationally. I first joined DRA in 2023, and by age 18, I had deployed across four different operations ranging from storm damage, flood and bush fire relief. As a young person this experience was life changing, as it forced me to overcome my social anxiety and taught me how to introduce myself to new people, build rapport with them, and eventually garner their respect.
On a typical DRA deployment, you will live away from home for up to a week at a time living in barracks style accommodation, sleeping in community halls on stretchers. You will be allocated a four person crew or "strike team" (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc.), and you will work with this crew for the duration of your deployment. Your day starts bright and early at 0600 and wraps up at 2200, just like the military timings at Kapooka.
Throughout the day, your team leader will allocate tasks assigned to your crew. Depending on the operation, this might involve crosscutting or felling trees, mucking out buildings, or sifting through ash for valuables. The work can often be highly physically demanding, and you will often come back from a hard day’s work feeling physically exhausted. However there's nothing quite like the feeling of looking back on what you achieved that day, swapping stories with your mates. And each night, after reciting the ode, you get to sink beers with the crew around the campfire. How good is that?
The biggest value for me was the wealth of information and the people I met. DRA is comprised of 60% ex-veterans. I have had the opportunity to meet and learn from clearance divers, maritime warfare officers, parachutists, commandos, infantry RSMs, tactical police officers, USAR firefighters, Vietnam veterans and many more. This was absolutely priceless to me, changing my entire perspective about the military and ultimately led to me wanting to enlist as an infantryman.
I now have a list of people I can now call mates, that I am able to reach out to for mentorship or advice at any time. These are people who have your back and would help you at a moment’s notice. On deployments, you form strong bonds with your crew, and these relationships extend far beyond the field. The ex service men and women that I had the opportunity to speak with shared their experiences with a level of honesty and detail that you simply can’t find in any recruitment brochure. The experience was life-changing for me, and for a potential ADF candidate, volunteering with DRA provides a unique opportunity to gain an authentic understanding of military life.
I was granted several opportunity to prove myself by holding leadership positions, eventually earning a name for myself within the organization. I have had the opportunity to lead crews with members far older than me who had quite figuratively 'earned their stripes', and I did so without coming across as arrogant or some ‘hotshot’ kid. I learned how to look after my crew, this may mean organizing a BBQ lunch for your team out on the field or shouting everyone a warm hot chocolate after massive days work were everyone is freezing and exhausted. These small gestures although seemingly insignificant contribute to your reputation, which will follow you in your military career.
Acting as a strike team leader, I have coordinated entire jobsites involving multiple crews, liaising with homeowners, operations officers, and crew leaders to achieve outcomes. Managing more than 20 people operating high-risk work under hazardous conditions, including conducting chainsaw operations and felling trees in the rain. How cool is that? You will have the opportunity to do this too. To have this amount of responsibility at such a young age is typically unheard of, and if you can demonstrate this to your interviewer, they will be seriously impressed.
As a younger candidate, you will be asked a number of questions in both your psychological assessment and Defence interview regarding how you cope with living away from home. They want to know that you can be independent while coping with the stresses of military life and training. Referring to your list of recent deployments will show your interviewer that this is not a problem for you at all. They will ask if you have difficulty sleeping at night. You can refer to all the times you had to sleep in barracks-style accommodation with people moving around at night and old men snoring.
With all this in mind, how many candidates can say they have had this experience? Not many. This will seriously impress your interviewer and showcase your experience and maturity. If you’re considering a career in the ADF, volunteering with Disaster Relief Australia is a transformative experience that will well prepare you for the challenges ahead of you.
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Why You Should Volunteer With Disaster Relief Australia
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Kapooka Kickstart is a community that helps young Australian Army candidates navigate the recruiting process and prepare for basic training.
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