GROWING up in Melbourne as the middle child of eight in a Samoan-Polynesian family, Leading Aircraftwoman Hope Kareta always pictured herself in the military.
Excelling in sports, particularly cricket – where she captained a junior side and represented Victoria – she joined the Air Force as an airfield defence guard in 2021.
Twelve months later, she decided to try rugby on a whim and ended up playing hooker for the women’s Melbourne Rebels team last year.
Despite a winless 2023 season, she remains optimistic about the team’s future, hoping they will become top contenders.
Unfortunately, knee injuries led to surgery and her decision to no longer play for the team.
“I knew my body wasn’t ready while I was in rehab,” she said.
“It was a tough decision, but I’m still young and I had my career to think about.”
She said she drew inspiration from her father and her sister who plays for the Wallaroos A team.
Debuting in her hometown and playing alongside her sister was a highlight last year.
“Family and friends all came to watch – Dad was over the moon and emotional that day,” she said.
She is now one of six females in her Defence role.
“I enlisted as a personnel capability support, but halfway through recruit training, my sergeant saw potential in me to change careers,” she said.
She skipped her employment training graduation to join the course and hasn’t looked back.
“It was a real eye-opener – quite hard, with five weeks outfield, and not everyone who started with me finished,” she said.
Last rugby season, Leading Aircraftwoman Kareta temporarily relocated from her usual posting at Amberley to Point Cook, fully committing to playing with the Rebels.
Wing Commander Craig Scott, then Commanding Officer of 2 Security Forces Squadron, saw this as an opportunity to champion work-life balance.
“Supporting Leading Aircraftwoman Kareta’s dream created a win-win situation for the squadron,” he said.
Field exercises and work commitments keep the airfield defence guard busy.
“These days it isn’t easy to get a weekend free to play rugby, but I have future goals to play again,” she said.
“My sister plays for the Queensland Reds, so that’s something I would like to work towards.”
