It was about recognising women in Moama this week as the local RSL held its first annual Women in Service ceremony.
Tuesday’s event at the local RSL began with a wreath-laying ceremony before segueing into a lunch.
Commander Helen Ward, one of the day’s speakers, talked about the changes she had seen over her career so far.
“If we don’t commemorate things like this, then young girls don’t get to see where they can be in the future. So anything that raises awareness of the careers that we have and the options that are available is fantastic,” she said.
“(The military) gets hammered all the time saying there’s not enough women, but often it’s because we don’t want to be put up on a pedestal.
“But our gender pay gap is less than the national average. If you are a leading seaman, you get paid the same whether you’re male or female.”
Dr Bernadette Boss said she never expected to get the jobs that she’s had.
“People would’ve laughed at me if I’d have said, ‘I’m going to be a paratrooper one day’,” she said
"I didn’t think that I could be a lieutenant colonel. I didn’t think that I could command a regiment. I never believed it would happen because, at the time, it just wasn’t possible to be a brigadier.”
One of Dr Boss’s career highlights was showing she was just as capable as any man in the same role.
“Passing my basic parachute training is one of my biggest achievements in the defence forces. Just completing that course showed that women can do even the physical things that people were saying we couldn’t do.
“I passed that course in 1999 at a time when they were saying, ‘oh no, women can’t be in combat roles’.”
Former AFLW player and current Channel 7 AFL boundary rider Abbey Holmes said she greatly respected the women they were celebrating.
“I’ve always had the utmost respect and admiration for people who go out and serve and protect,” she said.
“You are dealing with split-second decisions that result in life and death.
“My line of work has been heavily male-dominated for many years. So I have some similarities, but my journey pales into being insignificant with the women we are talking about today.”