Living a life committed to the Australian Defence Force is challenging, especially for the children as they uproot their lives, schooling and friends each posting.
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Kooringal Public School’s defence schools transition aid Rachel Dolan said there are a “large number” of defence students at the school, with 45 students from about 32 families.
“I look after all defence students and their families that come and go from the school to help their transition go smoothly and to make them feel welcome,” Mrs Dolan said.
“We run programs to help with resilience and emotions so that their next move runs more smoothly.”
Mrs Dolan said it is challenging for students who move around often, as the usual turn-around is every two to three years.
“There are some families that are lucky enough to spend time in one location for the majority of their primary or secondary schooling years, but this is usually not the case,” she said.
“Therefore, it can be quite hard for students and while some are very resilient and take the moves in their stride, others do struggle a little bit.
“Often as children get older, it becomes their natural part of life and they end up handling it really well.”
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According to the 2016 Census, defence equated to the second largest industry at 3.9 per cent of Wagga’s population.
Corporal Karen Cregan enlisted in the ADF 20 years ago in 1998 as a reservist in Leeton, before being transferred to the full-time army in 2003.
“I’ve been posted to Townsville, Darwin and now back in Wagga at Kapooka and this is my second year here and I’ll be posted again in three years,” Cpl Cregan said.
The mother-of-four said there “definitely” are challenges that her children have had to face during each posting.
“You get used to it after a while, though I think it’s harder for the kids changing schools so often,” Cpl Cregan said.
“It’s good to be able to stay in one location long enough so that they are able to complete at least primary or schooling years, but that doesn’t usually happen.
“My kids are are very resilient and there are resources available including the Defence Community Organisation and the school transition aid programs which work specifically for defence kids.
“They learn to be resilient and are taught how to get used to moving around all the time, or how to deal with their parents being away for long periods,” Cpl Cregan said.
Kooringal Public Year 5 student Alfred Cregan, 11, said he is proud of his mum but spoke about the difficulties that come with moving around often.
“It’s really cool how she helps out and I’m really happy about that because the army does so much to help our country and that’s what I think is really special and I love my mum very much,” Alfred said.
“It is hard because I lived in Darwin for the first 10 years of my life and then I moved to Wagga, so it was the first big change that I’ve ever really had.
“I made friends quickly here and everything got better and I still miss my friends from time to time, but you just get used to it and I know if I ever go back to visit Darwin I’ll be able to see them.”
Alfred’s grandmother Rosemary Foley said it has been hard to watch her daughter and her family uproot to different areas of Australia.
“I’ve been in Wagga for 50 years and I had four children who were born here, and I’m so happy that Karen and her family are back in Wagga,” Ms Foley said.
“I see them almost everyday and I love taking the children to school and working in with the family.”
Stewart Edwards’, the Chief Petty Officer at Wagga’s Navy division at RAAF Base, 10-year-old son Michael also attends Kooringal Public School.
“We’ve moved towns, houses and schools many times and our children get taken away from their schools, friends and their home base and they basically have to go and start all over again,” CPO Edwards said.
“So, it can be very difficult for defence kids who move around so often, but the best thing about it is they do get to move around.
“A lot of kids go their entire lives without moving at all and seeing anything different, but many defence kids live in so many different areas, cities and towns and it’s good for them to experience change and new things.”
Kapooka Public School estimated that about 80 per cent of their school population comes from defence families, with most students only staying at the school for about two to three years.
For Forest Hill Public School, ADF students make up about 22 per cent of their overall student enrollment.