NZ Defence Force: Cambridge recruit trains to become aircraft technician

Briarna Blackmore, 18, of Cambridge, has started a career with the New Zealand Defence Force. Photo / Andy Jenkins

Cambridge stablehand Briarna Blackmore, 18, will swap stables for a hangar as she is about to start training to be an aircraft technician with the New Zealand Defence Force.

Aircraftman Blackmore previously worked at a thoroughbred racing stable in Cambridge where she was part of team doing general farm maintenance and assisting with foaling and breeding.

She just completed the 12-week recruit course at Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Woodbourne in the South Island, where she will also soon start her trade training.

“I worked [at the stables] until the day before I came to Woodbourne, which was probably the best preparation that I could have gotten for recruit course, given the extremely long and physical hours.”

Blackmore said the highlight of the recruit course had been the friendships she developed.

“I was a bit nervous to move in with complete strangers, but we all bonded super quickly and now spend every moment of our free time together as well.

“We are all in the same boat, which makes it a lot easier to relate to each other when we found things tough, or what we were enjoying from our course.

“Recruit course is not a competition. You are all working towards the same goal of graduation, so you need to believe in your own abilities while also supporting those around you.”

However, Blackmore said she also faced a few hurdles.

“I have found the mental aspects a lot more challenging than the physical ones. We are under constant pressure during recruit course, where the assessments and activities can affect the future of our career if we don’t do them well.

“While some of the physical things we do are tough at the time, I have been able to push through the pain and afterwards it is super rewarding.”

Blackmore was now looking forward to the next step in her career as an aircraft technician and already has big goals.

“In the future, I would like to be posted to RNZAF Base Auckland and work on the Seasprite helicopters as part of No. 6 Squadron.”

She said she was “extremely grateful” to have been selected to be part of the Air Force and for the friendships she formed during the recruit course.

“These are friendships that I will be able to take from this course, and when we are all posted to different bases, it will be awesome to have friends all over New Zealand.”