Whose Name We Share

133 ToGunnerRhiannaGardener,holdingyourself toahigher standardandstriving tobeabettersoldier is essential to women’s success inarmy, sayingthat itsnotenoughtouseyourgenderasanexcuse tonot get involvedinsomethingdifficult orchallenging. AsaGunNumber,GNRGardenerhas arole thathas a reputation for being physically demanding, so she’s unfortunately become used to the idea of being doubted inher ability. Shemaintains that shebecause of the physicality of her job she’s learnt there’s always another10%in the tankand remarksthat becauseofherservicewiththe103 rd Battery that her values andhowsheholdsherself haschangedovertimeandnowfeels shecanstand tall andspeak without fearorhesitation.Despiteall this, shecallstoattentionthedoubt sheexperiencedfromfriends and family didn’t necessarilyendwhenshe joinedthemilitary. Likemanywomeninarmy, GNRGardener found it at timesmentallyexhaustingtoovercomecultural shortfalls. Herhopefor the futureof theRAA is thatmorewomencanhelpshapetheculture andthat it wouldbe ideal toseemorewomenemployedwithinthebattery.PrivateCaitlynRistau-Boone, aClerk for the 103 rd Battery forover2 years, mentioned that female bombardierswould be important for the RAA as itwouldgivewomena rolemodel to look up toandagoal tostrive for. When PTE Ristau-Boone posted to the 103 rd Battery in 2020 it would’ve been difficult to integrate with the ORs had it not been for the presence of other women in the battery. Due to the individualistic and officer-centric nature of her role as a clerk, it was important to build rapport with the people she was actually serving and so she made it a priority to familiarise herself with the operation of the M777A2 and M2A2 to better understand the daily operations of the battery. In her efforts she attended the M7777A2 Ammunition Number course to learn the fundamentals of gunnery which enabled her to assist detachments out field as well as fire a live mortar mission as a JFT. Her experience and understanding of the battery across all levels allowed her to greatly inform battery operations as well as assist in the development of planning on operations such as COVID-Assist. But this was not without challenges, due to her being a Private she had to learn to communicate effectively with people several echelons above her and her young age at times spurred people to call her advice into question. During her time in Army she has learnt that it’s all about character and that you have to mature quickly if you are to be working within the regimental structure. People are out to get you and even if baseless rumours fly you have to brush it off and keep moving forward, because your character will inform others of who you are. With this mindset she quickly established herself as a reliable source and was highly sought after and now looks forward to applying the same learning principles to her new position in the Combat Service Support headquarters in 8/12 Regiment. Whilst PTE Ristau-Boone has, at times, had her age become a factor in first impressions, Gunner Rebecca Sinz routinely keeps up with people 10 years her junior. As a Gun Number she has experienced her fair share of injuries and has faced constant doubt about her conviction to the role, oftentimes being asked if she knew what she was getting herself into from the recruiting stage up. Despite this she has been able to bounce back from various downgrades and injuries by putting her mind on what she needed to achieve to get herself across the line. During her four years in the 103 rd Battery she feels she’s become more resilient and isn’t so concerned about the little things in life, meaning she’s stronger – both physically and within herself.