Able Seaman Suliana Kami recently travelled to her mother’s homeland of Tonga for significant national celebrations.
The drawcard was the official 65th birthday of King Tupou VI of Tonga and the 50th anniversary of the Tonga Royal Navy on July 4.
Born in her father’s hometown of Sydney, Able Seaman Kami’s childhood was split between Australia and Tonga.
She began her Navy career in 2021 and said it is a service close to her heart.
“I was in Tonga during Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018,” she said.
“It was confronting to see the devastation within my community and it was the ADF which came down to deliver aid boxes for us.
“I was one of the lucky ones who was able to leave the house and help distribute the aid boxes and I remember seeing the kangaroo symbol on the boxes. It felt like my two worlds came together for a moment in need.
“Being able to help my community during that time felt empowering, and I knew then that I wanted a career in Navy.”
Able Seaman Kami said there was another personal factor that led her to the service.
“My dad was in the Navy, but for me, seeing my three female cousins serve is what really inspired me to join; seeing powerful women who look like me really helped me to visualise myself in the service,” she said.
Now, Able Seaman Kami serves on board HMAS Choules as a maritime personnel operator and is already planning her next Navy career move.
“My current role gives me exposure to human resources and now I’m studying a Bachelor of Business, majoring in human resources management,” she said.
“Once I finish my studies, I can hopefully commission as a maritime human resources officer.
“Navy has been great in providing me flexibility when I need it for my studies, and we’ve already planned my next posting where I can study face-to-face at a university to hopefully graduate sooner.”
Able Seaman Kami is currently undertaking a south-west Pacific regional presence deployment on Choules, aimed at strengthening Australia’s ties with its Pacific neighbours.
