Melanie Hill
Air Force, Author
“I sound old fashioned, but the idea of having a noble cause still strikes people. We, as a nation, are drawn to it. However, there’s still a strong need to debunk the ‘bronzed male Aussie’ myth that exists in, and about, the military. The national image has not included women.”
In saying that, Melanie knows that the Department of Defence’s policy is now focused on increasing diversity.
“There’s more research and understanding about the balance that diversity brings to an organisation and how diversity of experience and opinions increases the quality of its decision-making.”
Yet she believes that there are bastions of resistance and toxic behaviour that still prevail in some areas of the military.
“It’s hard to break through that,” Melanie states.
“I had to learn that who I am is valuable and that I don’t have to try to fit a particular mould. I had a Wing Commander who said to me, ‘Mel, I don’t want you to be another man in this group. I value your perspective’. It really took me aback. I felt valued and listened to by him.
“The Defence Force is a team sport. It’s the biggest team sport there is. If the people at the front of you aren’t doing their job and if the people at the back of you aren’t doing their job, then everyone will suffer. It’s a matter of making sure that everything, and everyone, is in the right place at the right time. That doesn’t just happen.”
Melanie served in the air force for eighteen years. Whilst at the Australian Defence Force Academy, she graduated with a degree in English Literature, specialising in war literature and poetry. She believes this course of study developed her analytical, research, and written communication skills, which were essential to her role as a Logistics Planner.
During her service, she was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC), which she proudly uses as her post nominal. Melanie was awarded this for excellence in logistics planning for Operations Slipper, Bastille and Falconer.
“I was drawn to the Royal Australian Air Force by the ideal of serving my country and being part of something bigger than myself,” says Melanie.
Melanie loved being in the air force and found it difficult to leave.
“It was more than a job. It was all-encompassing. To come out of service life was really hard. The fact that I had retired also seemed to put me at a lower level of knowledge in the eyes of some of my former peers. Even now, working with military personnel in defence industry in Logistics Support, there’s still a vibe of ‘What would you know? You’re a contractor.’”
Her decision to retire was based on becoming a mother. She had been deployed on operations in the Middle East and loved the work while she was there.
“But once I had children, I didn’t want to put myself into a position where my children may lose their mother. It was simply a personal choice and a risk I wasn’t willing to take.”
Her experience in logistics planning gave Melanie a love of plotting and problem solving. This tied in well with her passion for writing. Added to that were her children’s imaginations and joy of stories, so she began to record the funny things they said and did. “I have never lost this habit,” she says, with a smile.
“Sometimes, an idea will come to me and I’ll need to write it down or I won’t remember it. I have lots of ideas written on the back of envelopes or receipts. I have a book of them. I don’t write a diary or journal, but I do write poetry about moments in my life that I want to remember or experience again. I see writing as a gift. I try to get the imagery precise. Writing in the precise form of Haiku poetry is often helpful—no wasted words.”
In 2018, Melanie was delighted when her 9 minute script, Maddi’s White Christmas, was animated and projected onto Brisbane’s City Hall as part of the nightly Christmas Parade through the city.
Melanie’s thoughts are never far from her experiences in the Australian Defence Force (ADF). In 2020, she co-authored an anthology with fellow veteran, Jennifer Crane, titled Our Spirit. This is a collection of creative works by military and ex-military women, which celebrates and honours all aspects of their life as a woman in the ADF.
“I see writing as very healing. I wouldn’t be a balanced person without writing. I need something creative to keep myself balanced alongside the technical work that I do.
“I write fiction because I can speak more truthfully through my characters than if I was writing something like an autobiography or a biography. The truth is in my characters and what they say and do. Fiction writing requires editing and analysis, but it’s also about the human experience.”
Melanie is currently working on a middle-grade novel.
“The action of the story is driven by the obstacles presented to the protagonists and the decisions they make. I’m happy with where it’s going at the moment.
“Writing is the work I really enjoy. I have to keep working in industry to help provide for our family. But, hopefully, the time will come when I can simply write, and I’ll be so content doing that.”
@melaniehillauthor
www.melaniehill.com.au
