9 July 2025
A group of eight women from 51st Battalion Far North Queensland Regiment (51FNQR) recently completed the first all-women patrol across the Cape York region of Queensland.
The patrol, called Yotam Wanch (meaning “many women” in local Wik Mungkan language), set off for five days to visit remote communities and a careers expo in Weipa.
From June 1-6, Yotam Wanch honed the skills they need to patrol the country’s north.
With an area of operations of more than 640,000 square kilometres, 51FNQR soldiers are the eyes and ears in some of the most remote and hard-to-reach areas in Australia.
From off-road driving, tactical patrolling, reporting and community engagement, patrol leader Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) Anne Schwartz said the women could focus on training in a culturally safe environment.
She said cultural norms could be a barrier for Indigenous female soldiers.
“They wanted to do more things together as women,” WO2 Schwartz said.
“There’s respect between genders, but some of the women can get a bit shy due to their cultural upbringing around the blokes and male instructors.
"The purpose of this was to create a better way to integrate and give them confidence for future patrols."
'We were saying to the kids, these are some of the things you will learn, and get support from Army to do it.'
Travelling from Weipa around Cape York, Yotam Wanch visited three remote communities. They spoke with school children, community leaders, rangers, landowners and government officials.
WO2 Schwartz said the reaction from communities was positive when they saw the women handling traditionally male roles.
“We had a vehicle mechanic who was originally from Mapoon. If we had a breakdown, we could fix it ourselves, and we all know how to drive the vehicles,” she said.
“We were saying to the kids, these are some of the things you will learn, and get support from Army to do it.”
But the greatest benefit could be summed up in the experiences of one of the patrol members, a new mother.
Sapper Courtney Frape recently transferred from full-time service after maternity leave and joined the regiment as a reservist.
Yotam Wanch gave her a space where she could express her feelings about being away from her new family since returning to work.
“Now she feels supported,” WO2 Schwartz said.
“She’s happy to get back to her job going out on patrol and doing further training where she’ll be away from her family.
“Her first time away was in a supported environment.”
