WHEN I received a call from Army Reserve Warrant Officer Barry Parsons in January, I thought he was calling with a scoop.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Little did I know that I was about to be the story.
Rather than a news tip, what he offered was a two-day trip to the Australian Army’s Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka, just outside Wagga Wagga, to take part in the very same activities that put soldiers to the test.
I was among 14 people who were invited along on the Kapooka VIP Challenge.
The other participants were from a range of businesses including Fujitsu, TAFE NSW, Johnson & Johnson and Charles Sturt University.
The idea of our trip was to see first-hand the skills an Army Reservist learns how they are transferable to real life.
Upon arrival, we learnt to march. And I will be the first to admit what looks very easy is actually not – well it wasn’t for our group anyway.
After a quick change into Army camouflage we were ready to meet the reservists.
What struck me when meeting the 57 reservists of the Army Reserve’s 42 Platoon Echo Company 1st Recruit Training Battalion was how polite they were.
This group were aged between 17 and 55, and all were there for different reasons – some to improve career prospects, others to meet new mates and some to help fill in a gap year after high school.
Combat should not be the first time they experience fear.
- Abseiling instructor
Our guide around Kapooka’s Blamey Barracks was Warrant Officer Class 2 Glen White – an ex-Army sniper who has served in more places than I can remember.
He was there when all 14 of us were given the task of abseiling off a 20-metre high tower.
And, while most of the VIPs abseiled off the tower with little hesitation, I will admit that while I did it, it was terrifying.
But knowing how each individual deals with fear, we were told, was vital.
“Combat should not be the first time they experience fear,” we were told by our abseiling instructors.
During a camouflage and concealment activity, Private Ethan Sheridan managed to wow all of us VIPs with how he snuck up to within 70 metres of us, in his full camouflage gear, without being spotted by any of us.
On day two, we witnessed the wake up call for those 57 reservists – loud, quick and full of discipline.
Following that us VIPs then hit the range for weapons training with an F88 Austeyr rifle and an F89 Minimi machine gun.
“The training they do, for the majority of our soldiers, is the hardest thing they’ll ever do,” Commandant Colonel Mick Garraway said.
“The training’s hard, but it needs to be because of our role.”