Katrina Salvesen

Gaining a Distinguished Graduate Certificate at the end of three months training at Oklahoma, USA, on the C-17A as a loadmaster, is just another moment in the remarkable story of our first female Warrant Officer Loadmaster Katrina Salvesen.

Born and growing up in Hobart, Warrant Officer Salvesen travelled around quite a bit attending five different primary schools in Victoria and Tasmania.

“Family life was anything but normal, I would describe it as turbulent”, said Warrant Officer Salvesen.

“I attribute that to wanting to get away and do something different.

“I always had the desire to achieve both academically and sporting wise.

“I was quite a good swimmer and short distance runner throughout school, representing Southern Tasmania in athletics toward the end of high school,” she said.

Enlisting in the Australian Defence Force in September 1983 as a Supply Clerk, Warrant Officer Salvesen was posted to the RAAF Number 2 Stores Depot in Sydney.

“It wasn’t exactly what I envisioned my career in the Air Force would be all about, but thankfully I was then posted to Recruiting where I had the most enjoyable time speaking to thousands of young people about careers in the ADF” said Warrant Officer Salvesen.

It was at the end of this posting that Warrant Officer Salvesen applied for and was accepted into the Loadmaster category, opened for the first time to women.

It was December 1994 when she realised her dream to be in a career directly impacting and involved in operations and exercises.

“Of course I was now where the action was. I was aircrew and flying,” Warrant Officer Salvesen said.

“I managed to Dux our course, much to the chagrin of my male counterparts.

“My first loadmaster posting was to Number 36 Squadron.

“Another Loadmaster advised me to choose Number 36 Squadron over Number 37 Squadron due to the tactical nature of the Squadron’s operations,” she said.

Warrant Officer Salvesen spent eleven years at Richmond, doing the necessary ground jobs as required.

In a varied career Warrant Officer Salvesen worked at Number 86 Wing as a watchkeeper, spent six months in East Timor working with the UN from August 2002 to February 2003 and later that year she was deployed to the Middle East for Operation Catalyst.

Involved with Operation Sumatra Assist and operations in the Solomon Islands, Warrant Officer Salvesen spent time on exchange in New Zealand in 1999/2000.

In 2006 Warrant Officer Salvesen applied for and was successful in gaining training on the C-17A Globemaster III, completing the training with a Distinguished Graduate Certificate.

After retiring from the Air Force, Warrant Officer Salvesen has maintained her drive, running her own business, and is now doing a TAFE qualification in the Aged Care and Disability field.