Whose Name We Share

137 In closing, the RAA has accepted women into their ranks since the opening of combat roles to women in 2011 and to date only three women are still serving within the ranks of 103, seeing most women move on due to cultural or personal concerns. Significant strides have been made in the development of the RAA’s culture in recent years, but that road is very much still being paved as we try to walk it and it will still be quite some time before we as a society can comfortably accept women in these roles. Individual attitudes within the ranks of the RAA show that members wholeheartedly accept women provided they can perform the job, but there will always be someone to provide underhanded comments and resist the change the RAA is destined for. Bringing women into the RAA was always going to be difficult, its proving to be a motion that has been fraught with risk and experimentation, but through persistence and acceptance the girls of gunnery have a foundation that can steadily grow over the years. Its by no means perfect and it requires a lot of work, but it’s a foundation that needs a lady’s hand to shape and build. Its with hope that the future of the RAA will be steady enough to see the range of firsts its so eagerly working towards. First woman Battery Commander, first woman Number One, first woman Battery Sergeant Major and its my personal hope as author of this work that the shifts in attitudes I’ve witnessed in my own service continue to trend in the right direction. I hope to one day see an environment that facilitates and navigates the world of the girls of gunnery sincerely and effortlessly.