Canberra is home to many actively serving and past members of the Australian military, from the new recruits at Duntroon to the veterans in the community. Within the humble capital lie countless war stories and heroes, some immortalised in memorials and some standing next in line at the grocery store. Among them is Kate Munari, Australia’s only female Navy helicopter pilot to ever fly in Afghanistan.

After 17 years of service and three tours in Afghanistan as part of the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force, Kate is now a motivational speaker sharing her story with workplaces that range from Spotify and Amazon to the Rural Fire Service.

She first joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at 18 years old, a chain of events she says would never have occurred if not for a visit from Defence Force Recruiting in Year 11.

“I really didn’t know what I was going to do when I finished school,” says Kate. As a child, her interests ranged from dirt bikes and horse riding to painting and tapestry.

“I liked everything, but there was no one thing that really took my focus. I was very competitive – I loved beating other people in both sports and academics,” she smiles.

“It was a lunchtime presentation,” Kate recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘Do I go, or do I sit with my friends?’ But something about it just sounded interesting.”

In light of the ADF aiming to increase the enlistment and retention of female personnel, Kate notes that if she had chosen to sit with her friends that day, “I would never have joined the military and had the career and the amazing adventures because it just didn’t occur to me. Not because it’s male-dominated, but because no one ever put it in front of me as an option … It was as simple as that.

“I’m forever grateful for my family because … if I wanted to play a sport, it didn’t matter if it was a stereotypically male sport. If I wanted to study certain subjects, they never said, ‘Oh, that’s a bit boyish.’ I just did it.

“So, when it came to joining the military, the fact that there was only one female pilot in the whole Navy and the Navy was only about 10 per cent female, it didn’t even occur to me as an issue.”

To an everyday Canberran, Kate’s career may seem completely foreign – even many Defence personnel never operate on the front lines.

Flying day and night and in all types of weather, there were several “life or death moments” when Kate’s team came under enemy fire.

“Maintaining your focus is a challenge because you’re away from your family, your friends, your normal life. And every day you’re getting up and flying over enemy territory,” says Kate.

One of the most defining lessons she learnt when faced with enemy fire, systems failure, or the myriad of other things that can (and often did) go wrong, is one she shares today as a motivational speaker.

“Have the confidence in yourself and all the moments that have led up to those high pressure decisions. And then, you actually have to decide.

“It doesn’t matter how bad the situation is, or how crippled you may feel as the leader. You make the best decision you can at the time with all the information available, because if you don’t and it’s made for you – and it will be made for you – you are just as responsible for the outcome.”

After years of working on military bases in Australia and overseas, it comes as no surprise that Kate has some knowledge when it comes to working in alpha-male industries.

“Women, particularly when going into male-dominated areas, let self-doubt get in the way of progressing their career or following their dreams.

“Often people come up at the end of my speech and say, ‘Wow, I could never have done what you’ve done,’ but that’s why I’m here – to show you where I started as a normal high school student who had no idea what they wanted to do after school,” says Kate.

“I say, don’t hold yourself back. If it’s what you want, go for it and make it happen, and if you’re not suitable for it, somebody else will tell you that you’re not suitable.”

When facing self-doubt or “smart*rse comments”, Kate advises to challenge any of those head on.

“Stop and look back through your career at all the training courses you’ve done, all the jobs you’ve had, all the decisions you had to make and problems you overcame and realise that you are where you are because you deserve to be there, and you are capable.”

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