Forces for courses

By Warrant Officer Graeme Tingey

Members of the Western Force look over a 79SQN Hawk 127 jet. From top: Rudi Vedelago; Luke Doherty; Nathan Sharpe (Wallabies vice-captain); Scott Fava; forwards coach Ben Darwin; and head coach John Mitchell with SQNLDR Grant Devine from 79SQN and FLTLT Susan Devine, OIC Training 25SQN.

Photo by WOFF Graeme Tingey

RAAF Base Pearce recently welcomed a new force in the West.

No. 25 Squadron hosted a visit to the base by senior members and coaches of the newly formed Western Force, Western Australia’s new Super 14 Rugby Union team. The theme of the September 12 visit was Western Force meets the Air Force.

The group spoke to several base personnel during the visit as well as inspecting a Hawk 127 lead-in fighter from No. 79 Squadron and the flight simulator.

The Western Force members were in Perth for a few days preparing for the team’s move to the West and the visit provided them an ideal opportunity to visit the alternate workplace of their Career and Education Adviser, Susan Devine.

Ms Devine provides both the team and Pearce something more in common than the word “Force”.

She is an Active Reserve education officer and, as Flight Lieutenant Devine, is the officer in charge of training at No. 25 Squadron.

As well as giving the two forces a chance to meet each other, the visit gave the Super 14 men a chance to see what their adviser does in Air Force blue.

Flight Lieutenant Devine’s dual role highlights the contribution that Air Force reservists make to the nation, but also the efforts of employers such as Western Force in assisting reservists to achieve their goals in the civilian and Air Force workforces.

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