My name is Sharen Claire A’Hang, and I am a Nauo (Nawu) woman born in Semaphore, South Australia. I attended local schools and furthered my education at Tauondi Aboriginal Community College and in TAFE colleges across Melbourne. Throughout my life, I’ve lived in South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland, and I’ve raised four children and two stepchildren, with the joy of also being a grandmother to six.
My community involvement extends to serving on the board of the Pangula Manamurna Aboriginal Corporation, a local Indigenous health clinic in Mount Gambier, where I reside. I am also a member of the Mount Gambier RSL, and I’ve been married several times, though not to my current partner! When I left high school at 15, I aspired to be a mechanic, a field not welcoming to women at the time. Although I couldn’t secure a mechanics apprenticeship, I found my way into textile and knitwear manufacturing.
By 21, I was married with two children. My career took an unexpected turn when a maintenance fitter where I worked, introduced me to the possibility of driving trucks for the Army Reserves, which I then joined at 27. At the time I joined the Army Reserve, as a female, you had to work twice as hard to be seen as half as good – and there were times we had to stand up for ourselves. On an exercise, they had females use the outdoor shower at a set time, and the guys would try to watch us. One day they got a helicopter to fly over us while we were in the shower. When I asked one of them why, he said they wanted to see if I was really a redhead. I told him, ‘You only needed to ask and I would have shown you.’ And I lifted my arm and showed him the red hair of my armpits! He was so surprised I got the last laugh, as he wasn’t expecting that.
Initially part of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) in Adelaide, I transitioned into the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) when WRAAC disbanded. My drive to continue in a technical field saw me become a Vehicle Mechanic, and later, due to the physical demands of the job, I transferred to the Royal Australian Army Pay Corps (RAAPC) as an Admin and Pay Clerk. I served until 1998, when personal health necessitated a brief pause.
My re-engagement with the military came as an Officer of Cadets with the Australian Army Cadet Corps, reflecting my continued commitment to serve. My time in the reserves taught me resilience and determination. I recall having to work twice as hard to be recognized and overcoming systemic gender bias of some male colleagues, which I met with my signature straightforwardness.
My ancestry enriches my story—my great-great-grandfather, Johnny Ah Hang, arrived from China in 1850 and chose a life far from the goldfields, marrying a Nauo woman, my great-great-grandmother. The military tradition commenced with my grandfathers and father serving in world wars, and this legacy extends to my brother and nephew today
Now, after serving 16 years in the Army Reserves and 17 years with the Australian Army Cadets, I reflect on a journey marked by growth, advocacy, and an unyielding dedication to empowering my community through my diverse roles and responsibilities. My life has been a tapestry of experiences, woven from my heritage, challenges, and ceaseless striving for personal and communal advancement.
