Billy Horner

I grew up in a small country town called Port Augusta, which is 300km north of Adelaide. I decided to join up in 2022 and my career in Defence started by undertaking a six-month Navy Indigenous program in Cairns. This was a ‘try before you buy’ program with no lock-in contract. Midway through the program, our team went to RAAF Base Townsville for a week, and that is where I discovered that I wanted to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The Navy program was one of the best things I have done in my career, and I can honestly say if it were not for this program and the instructors involved, I would not be where I am today. My instructors on the program were a huge influence on me, driving me every day to want a career in Defence. This made me realise the importance of being a serving member and how much of a privilege it is to be serving your country.

My family have been very supportive towards me since joining, and believe it is the best thing for me. Leaving them on my enlistment day was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, and it was extremely hard for them, too, as we both knew it was the start of something that would involve me being away from them for the longest time I have ever been away from home. There were some tears shared on that day; however, I look back on that day and see how much of a blessing it has been. I still share a very close bond with my family and try to stay in touch with them as much as possible. I don’t think it would be possible not to stay in touch so much even if I didn’t want to, as my Mum and Nana miss me very much every day and ring me frequently.