Page 15 - QARANC Vol 20 No 2 2022

“I was probably that really irritating child at primary school that rushed over if anybody fell in the playground and wanted to help,” admits Colonel Alison Farmer. At 54, she is the Chief Nursing Officer for the Army and head of the QARANC, who has led the organisation through challenging times and a period of change, but it’s clear that her desire to be a nurse and to help others was evident even from a young age.
Alison grew up in a rural part of the highlands about 20 miles from Inverness. Her family home was seven miles from the nearest village and nine miles from the nearest town, so she attended a school and had “a quiet upbringing.” Joining the Army was an opportunity to take a leap into the wider world.
She recalls, “I think wanting to join the Army came when I was a teenager and during the Falklands conflict. Seeing images of the injured service personnel, and particularly the soldiers. I just thought I wanted to be part of something like that and to be able to help. I remember going to the careers office at 16 and being told I was too young for nurse training, but I kept going back and eventually I joined the Army at 18 and a half. I really enjoyed it and have never looked back.”
Aspects of Army life which really appealed to Alison included working overseas, but also sport, which was an early passion of hers. She had been used to cycling long distances as part of her rural upbringing, and in the
Army, she was encouraged to take up triathlons. She captained the team at The Cambridge Military Hospital and tasted success in competitions during the 1980s and 90s. Ultimately a “couple of nasty car accidents” put a stop to her competitive sporting career.
She reflects, “I still enjoy the disciplines of the sport – the cycling, swimming, running, but without the competitive side of it. Back then I was trying any sport that came my way, whether it was skiing, winter sports, summer sports, I would give it a go, but I wouldn’t say I was ever particularly outstandingly good at anything!”
Being involved in sport helped Alison to become more disciplined, particularly when it involved fitting around working shifts as a nurse. Sometimes she would get up at 0400 for a long bike ride, or a few hours earlier. Team sports such as hockey also taught the values of working with others and advancing as a team, all good skills for a career in the military.
Did she ever see herself as head of the Corps one day? No, she admits, adding, “I’ve gone a lot further than I expected in my career. I always had in my mind, that commission was an option, but I didn’t set an end goal. I think your ambitions change as you develop and as opportunities come along.” After she qualified, Alison worked on the gynaecology ward at the Cambridge Military Hospital, becoming a specialist ‘gynae nurse.’ “The ward sisters there were very inspiring and I loved working there with such a great team of nurses and ward stewardesses; I hoped one day to be the sister in charge of the ward, that absolutely was my end goal at the time.”
Then came overseas deployments to the Balkans which boosted Alison’s experience and her confidence, particularly thanks to the additional training prior to deployment. And on returning to the UK, she was posted to the remote island of St Kilda in the Hebrides, where she was the only qualified medical person with responsibility for the small population and any fishing boats or cruisers that came along.
The Gazette QARANC Association 15