Page 24 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

24 WOMEN IN DEFENCE AWARDS 2021
FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
LEGAL/CONTRACTING
Awarded to the defence com- munity’s most outstanding fe- male individual working within the legal/contracting field.
The finalists in the WIDA
2021 Legal/Contracting cat-
egory are: Alison Whittaker of
BAE Systems Australia, Carla
Balanco of DroneShield, Lieu-
tenant Commander Elizabeth
Cooke of the Royal Australian
Navy, Melinda Halliday of Coras Solutions and Kaylene Askew of Luminact.
And the winner is: Melinda Halliday of Coras Solu- tions.
Melinda is a Senior Consultant with Coras Solutions. In 2020, Melinda delivered contracting and procurement ser- vices as the Commercial Manager in the Guided Missile Frigates System Program Office and was involved in the sale and transition of Royal Australian Navy Adelaide-class FFGs to the Chilean Navy, which was recognised as the largest ever Commonwealth sale of maritime assets to an allied Navy. During this time, she provided commercial ad- visory support to seamlessly transition the project through to closure. Her personal dedication to developing commer- cial support arrangements provided comprehensive quality assurance across the entire transition process, effectively nurturing an enduring relationship with the Chilean Navy and increasing the Commonwealth’s overseas exports.
OPERATIONS
Awarded to the defence community’s most outstanding fe- male individual working in deployed/remote areas with a focus on logistics, services and support roles.
A Special Mention has been awarded to Tracey Clavell of BAE Systems Australia.
The finalists in the WIDA 2021 Opera- tions category are: Corporal Kristie Con- nell of the Australian Army, Karla Duroy of BGIS, Cathy Sergi of Serco ADF Health Services Contract, Corporal Michelle Volkers of the Royal Australian Air Force, Petty Officer Electrical Technician Ci-an- na Smith of the Royal Australian Navy and Commander Andrea Argirides of Head- quarters Joint Operations Command
And the winner is: Corporal Kristie Connell of the Australian Army.
Corporal Connell’s achievements as a part-time serving member of the ADF in 2020 present her as clear role model. Corporal Connell deployed on Operation Bushfire Assist as a Combat Medical Attendant in support of the Engineer Regiment Task Group. Corporal Connell provided health support to ADF members, international military members and civilians. The stand-out achievement for Corporal Connell was the short notice professional as- sistance she provided to a woman in labour who was wait- ing paramedic support and ambulance transportation. She
also provided immediate medical support to an Indonesian soldier who was having a cardiac emergency. Due to her high Army ethos and Defence values, she was selected as a spokesperson to employers of Defence Reserves. When she's not in uniform, Corporal Connell is an experienced school teacher and registered intensive care unit nurse in Coffs Harbour.
ENGINEERING
Proudly sponsored by SYPAQ
Awarded to the defence community’s most outstanding fe- male individual working within the engineering field. This category is open to all disciplines within the engineering community.
A Special Mention has been awarded to Amy Ormrod of Terra Schwartz.
The finalists in the WIDA 2021 Engineering category are: Lieutenant Commander Nata- lie Stafford of the Royal Aus- tralian Navy, Squadron Leader Emily Carrie of the Royal Aus- tralian Air Force, Louise Burr of the Royal Australian Air Force, Jennifer Del Mastro of Nova Systems and Dr Sarah Cannard of Nova Systems.
And the winner is: Louise Burr of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Throughout 2020, Louise was responsible for delivery of $1.5 billion worth of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter facilities across RAAF Bases Williamtown and Tindal under Air 6000. Louise drove accountabilities relating to the man- agement of hundreds of critical ICT and security-related defects at the Tindal F-35 facilities to ensure passive ICT and security accreditation deadlines were achieved on criti- cal path to F-35 First Aircraft Arrival. She was responsible for spearheading a short notice installation of additional Aircraft Arrestor Systems at RAAF Base Williamtown to mitigate the risk associated with deficiencies in F-35 wet runway braking and arresting hook performance. It is worth noting that Louise achieved all of these objectives, and many more, whilst home-schooling three primary-aged children during COVID-19 restrictions during 2020.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Proudly sponsored by Penten
Awarded to the defence com- munity’s most outstanding female individual who has de- veloped and /or administered initiatives to support women in the defence community.
The finalists in the WIDA 2021 People and Culture cat- egory are: Squadron Leader Shamsa Lea and Major Lynd- say Freeman of the ADF, Beck