But it is the mateship that Cortnee, who is a cadet under officer with the Rockingham 59 ACU, enjoys the most; that, and seeing younger cadets develop a wide range of skills.
“I love watching younger cadets develop and grow,” Cortnee said. “I feel I’m in a position to change lives.”
Cortnee (18) has recently taken part in the cadets’ largest annual eight-day exercise at the Bindoon army training area with more than 500 other cadets from all over WA.
But army cadets is not without its challenges.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“The challenge for me is to not try to do everything myself,” she said. “I’m working hard to get better at delegation.”
Other activities held during the camp included team building games, radio communication, abseiling, and they developed skills in leadership, navigation, engineering and survival.
These activities culminated in a challenging, and at times arduous, inter-unit competition to test the cadets’ skills and their teamwork.