Our People in QLD
Johl Mansfield - Victoria Point
Family connections and a sense of satisfaction inspired Victoria Point’s Johl Mansfield to join the Royal Australian Air Force.
The Victoria Point High School graduate has an aunt and uncle in the army and says he became an airfield defence guard because he wanted to so something worthwhile. The airfield defence guards are the RAAF’s own ground forces whose job it is to defence airfields from ground-based attacks.
“I wanted to do a job where I felt was contributing to something,” Johl said.
“I just like the satisfaction that you get out of doing something like this – not just pushing papers around a desk!
“There’s the chance to go overseas, to do deployments. It’s different every day.”
Now promoted to Leading Aircraftman, Johl is currently stationed at RAAF Base Amberley after completing his training in Western Australia. He and his unit also got involved in Operation Queensland Flood Assist at the start of last year.
More travel is on the cards, with the possibility of overseas deployments later this year.
“I didn’t know where I wanted to go at school but I think most of the boys here had a strong upbringing around sport,” said Johl.
“There’s a lot of State or national athletes around our job, so it definitely helps if you’re fit and active. PT is a strong focus in our job because we’ve got to maintain a high standard of fitness.”