Page 35 - The Gazette Autumn 2023

The Gazette QARANC Association 35
am able to put my kids through boarding school, and the job demands that I keep fit – so in essence the Army also ensures I am healthy. It is a good institution that teaches you discipline and leadership – it gets the best out of you.”
Sebastian feels that the Army has got him to a place where all his skills can be applied. As well as nursing, he can advise people on keeping a healthy weight by maintaining good diet. In terms of a signature dish, he likes gourmet cookery and has even turned his hand to cake decoration and cooking competitions.
And they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Sebastian confides, “One time I made a fresh curry for some senior military personnel, and one came in and asked to know who had cooked his meal. I introduced myself and I think that curry may have helped me get promoted.”
Sebastian describes himself as an “adventurer” and has always embraced change. He enjoys the fact that Army life takes him out of his comfort zone and has always brought new and interesting postings, including Germany and Estonia (though he admits moving around is not always ideal for the family).
This desire to take on new challenges is what led Sebastian to become a QARANC Association trustee. He had previously applied to the Association for funding joint JHG-S family day and wrote for the Gazette about his experience carrying the lantern for a Florence Nightingale commemoration and meeting then-PM Boris Johnson.
The Army brings out the best out of a person.
Sebastian read in the Gazette how new trustees are sometimes needed to replace those who retire. He spoke to W01 Caroline Olive, his then Regimental Career Manager Officer in Portsmouth, and put in his application. “Becoming a trustee is another way to payback to society, which is important to me,” says Sebastian.
He sees his role as helping to sell the benefits of QA membership, from building a stronger sense of military community to funding trips and events and encouraging more serving personnel to join.
Reflecting on his Army life so far, Sebastian says; ‘’On joining the military, I didn’t look like a Superman or super soldier but when I went for a run, I realised I seem to be overtaking everybody, and maybe not just because I’m a Kenyan. The Army brings out the best out of a person and how many jobs can you say do that?”