Property lawyer Simon LaBlack and office manager Skye LaBlack recently found themselves standing in the back of a C-17 Globemaster aircraft.
This big bird provides the logistics backbone for the RAAF being able to lift 265 tonnes. It can also fit a helicopter inside, 134 passengers or 70 tonnes of cargo.
Ms LaBlack looked around at the vast interior and felt overwhelmingly small.
“The inside of the plane is literally bigger than my house. My house would fit in the back of that plane, probably twice,” she said.
The LaBlacks are from LaBlack Lawyers at Augustine Heights and they employ property lawyer Claire Barry who is also an Air Force reservist.
The LaBlacks were invited to walk a day in her military shoes so they can gain first-hand experience of the work she does for the Air Force.
The Defence Reserves Support Council sponsors employer engagement activities with an aim to educate employers of reservists, so they have a better understanding about military life and how those skills can be transferred to the workplace which benefits civilian employers.
The day at RAAF Base Amberley involved a weapon display, watching a military working dog take down an ‘attacker’ and a tour of the new fire section facilities on the flight line.
The highlight being a taken onboard a C-17 Globemaster by a pilot and getting to go into the cockpit.
“There were a bunch of jets doing flyovers and the pilot of the Globemaster showed us though,” Ms LaBlack said.
Simon LaBlack felt the day was an eye opener and as a result he sees his employee Ms Barry, in a different light.
“Claire is one thing to us and something quite different in the military. You see her in a different context. I have a much better appreciation for seeing it, feeling it, touching it,” he said.
The Royal Australian Air Force actively employs about 4,000 Air Force Reservists in a wide range of roles and is an essential part of the Air Force’s workforce model.
Reservists work alongside permanent Air Force members in support of day-to-day operations.
If you are interested in joining the reserves click here or would like to participate in a Defence Reserves Support Council Employer Engagement event click here.
