Teenagers have twin ambitions

By Peter Clack

Two sets of twins with their eyes fixed on becoming pilots: clockwise from bottom left are Officer Cadets Genevieve Preston, Mitchell Gow, Taryn Preston and Peter Gow.

Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

TWO sets of twins from NSW have begun cadet training at the Australian Defence Force Academy after being selected for pilot training.

Still in their teens, they hope to be at the controls of Australia’s front-line combat aircraft by the time they are 21.

Identical twins Peter and Mitchell Gow, 18, and sisters Genevieve and Taryn Preston, 17, launched their Air Force careers last month.

The boys want to fly fighters, the girls bombers.

The Gows academic achievements were recognised by the ADF when they both applied for and were presented with an ADFA Education Award.

Mitchell said they had wanted to be pilots since they were nine years old. “As we got older we thought we should join the Defence Force as pilots, aiming for ADFA. Everything centred on achieving that goal.

In the last two years we have endeavoured to succeed scholastically and maintained a good level of health, aiming for the pinnacle – flying
fighters,” he said.

Taryn and Genevieve grew up in an aviation family. Their parents are pilots who run an aerial survey company. The girls said they had dreamt of joining the Air Force from Year 9.

“In the last year we decided we would cut back on sports and focus on school work,” Taryn said.

“We both want to go into a bomber role and fly F-111s. I always knew I would fly and I don’t want a desk job for the rest of my life.”

After their first month at ADFA, both sets of twins agree it has been a big adjustment but one they have no regrets in making. The boys said they were used to wearing a blue uniform at high school while the girls said the transition to military life had been good for them.

“This is the longest time we’ve actually been separated from each other,” Genevieve said.

“But instead of leaning on each other, we’ve been able to establish ourselves independently.”

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