Kellie Curry

I was born and raised in a small town in north-west Queensland called Cloncurry. My connection to Country as a Waanyi woman is through my mother’s side, whose traditional lands lie in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Growing up in a small country town, there weren’t bountiful opportunities to work. I joined the Navy when I was 37 through the Defence Indigenous Development Program (DIDP). At the time, I was working in the mines as a cleaner and had been doing that for a number of years. The decision to join the Navy wasn’t an easy one, as this meant leaving my hometown, family and friends, and everything that I had grown to love to venture out into the unknown. Since enlisting, I have travelled the world, worked with many different Navies and met so many different people. I joined as an Aviation Support Sailor (AVN). I am currently a Recruit Instructor with the Indigenous Pre Recruitment Program (IPRP). This posting has been a great opportunity for me to give back as this is where my career started. I completed recruit training at HMAS Cerberus in 2016. I then spent the next few years, from 2016-2018, at HMAS Albatross, where I completed my Initial Employment Training and a brief posting to 808 Squadron. I served on HMAS Adelaide during 2019-2022, and this was an exciting posting as I was fortunate enough to be part of some great deployments.

Joining the Navy was the best decision I made, as I look back and think of where I came from to now. I’m just a Murri from the Curry, sailing on the big blue ocean and I would never have imagined in a million years I would be a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy. I am also very grateful for the love and support of my beautiful partner Kym and her family, as they have instilled in me the belief and determination that I will always be destined for great things.