The first women to undertake combat training at Kapooka Military Area, NSW, celebrated 40 years since they first made history in Seymour.
Photo by
Billie Davern
It has been 40 years since a group of women made history in a small suburb south-west of Wagga Wagga, NSW.
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It was in 1985 that a group of 49 became the first female soldiers to undertake combat training at 1st Recruit Training Batalion, Kapooka.
It was in typical ’90s fashion that the women, whose average age was 18, marched into the base to become 31 Platoon.
Thirty-one weeks later, they marched out as soldiers in dark green skirt suits created by renowned Australian fashion designer Prue Acton.
Inside the gates awaited laborious challenges, where they were made to complete the same tasks as their male peers, despite not sharing the same physical resources.
They included the 20km pack march, a physically demanding task which saw the women bearing a load that, in some cases, was heavier than them.
“I marched in at 45kg myself, and all that kit weighed more than I did,” Cheryl Griffiths said.
“That’s how hard it was.
“All that gear we carried, for 20km, was probably 50-plus kilos and weighed more than some of us actually weighed, but we still did it.”
Despite the decades passed, the women have found that the challenges they faced together had bonded them for life.
Every five years, they hold a reunion in a different part of the country, coming together from across the states to fondly reflect on their difficult time.
This year, on their 40th anniversary, the women, platoon staff and instructors gathered in Seymour to be part of its Anzac Day services.
31 Platoon marched down Anzac Ave on Anzac Day.
Photo by
Wayne Herring
Marching down Anzac Ave alongside local veterans and community members proved to be an emotional moment which showed the ongoing strength of their lasting bond.
“We hadn’t marched together since April of ’85, but we got it right and it was just perfect,” Eleanor Rush said.
“It was so much fun.
“We marched yesterday in the parade and, watching the video back, I felt so bloody proud of myself.”
Jayne Calvert, who now lives in Tallarook, found the seamlessness of the march to be a reflection of the connection they all share.
“The synchronicity of that is reflective of our relationship, and how we can come back together after five years, and some people haven’t been back for 40 years, and it’s just like, I’ve never felt so comfortable with a group of people,” she said.
“It’s a real sisterhood.”
Over the Anzac Day weekend, the women spent their time in Seymour and surrounds, attending Tastes of the Goulburn, taking a look at some of the town’s renowned memorials and taking time to remember Kapooka.
Jayne Calvert, who now lives in Tallarook, set up a pop-up museum beside the Tallarook Hotel, displaying old uniforms and documents collected from her time at Kapooka.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Ms Calvert, who calls herself a “hoarder,” set up a special museum beside the Tallarook Hotel to display the material memories she has kept over the years.
From her first pay envelope, which showed they received $171.84 a fortnight, to their old uniforms, she had it all.
“At Kapooka, in the museum there, they have no mention of the women coming in the first platoon,” Ms Calvert said.
“It just so happens I’ve kept most of my kit.
“A lot of them have lost their stuff, but I’m a bit of a hoarder and I still have it all.
“I thought I’d give them something a bit special. They had a great time in here reminiscing.”
The gatherings allow the 31 Platoon to recall how, as Noela Whitmore said, “we were able to do it as the men did it”.
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