Written by Nathan Barnstable in April, 2010

A little over 12 months ago I joined Condon Associates as a File Clerk under the Traineeship Programme run by the Federal Government. This opportunity came about as a result of my involvement with the Australian Army Reserve, where I first met LTCOL Schon Condon.

During 2009 in my role as a member of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, I was offered the opportunity to go on an exercise with the Australian Army for a three month deployment as part of the Christmas Rotation (Rotation 88) to Rifle Company Butterworth, located at Butterworth Air Force base in Butterworth, Malaysia.

While the majority of my time was spent around Palau Penang mainland and Palau Penang Island in the North, I also spent a few weeks in the state of Johor Bahru in the country’s South.

This exercise comprised of 120 eager Reservists, many of whom like me were on their first deployment. It was a fantastic opportunity to spend almost three months in a foreign country completing an extremely broad range of valuable training exercises.

The training was not just in basic soldierly skills, but also extensive weapons handling, basic and jungle survival courses, leadership courses, adventure training and the genuine opportunity to truly test ones own stamina and commitment as an individual.

While it was in a very different setting, it gave you a real opportunity to really understand yourself, your team and how it can all work together in a variety of different situations.

One of the first things that hits you when you arrive in Malaysia is the need to acclimatise to the country’s high level of humidity. Once acclimatised you then have the opportunity to take in the country, the people and their customs.

Malaysia was considered to be a Developing Country in the last decade but now – mainly due to the rapid growth in the tourism sector – the country is quickly moving beyond that label. Yet in spite of this, the majority of the Malaysian people are still very poor. This certainly opened our eyes and reinforced how well we have things here in Australia.

Whether it is from the previous relations established by the Rotations that have been to Malaysia, or by the sacrifices made by Australian Troops during WWII and the Malaysian Intervention, the Malaysian people would do anything they could to help us young “Aussies.”

This was a very heartening thing given what they face in their daily lives. While on exercise I was fortunate enough to work with a wide variety of the Malaysian people, be it with the Malaysian Armed Forces, contractors, or to the range of staff that supplied us with meals, linen and other amenities. They always seemed happy to be there, and to help us out even though they worked for only a small wage. Interestingly, most of the time anything extra they provided us with, they would refuse payment for.

While it was certainly a military operation, we were given a fair amount of time to go exploring and soak up as much of the local culture from “The Pearl of the Orient” as we could.

On our travels, we stumbled across a variety of locals, all friendly and eager to please. Whether it was a couple of free ties to go with the suits we purchased or a free round of drinks at a bar! Each time this happened we would always have our payment refused as a handshake or pat on the back would suffice. This was truly an amazing experience to be part of.

There was also an opportunity for formal time off during the three months and while we could have come home (very expensive though), a group of us took the opportunity to explore the culture of Thailand and Singapore – and maybe even a night spot or two!

I started at Condon Associates early last year. During the year I completed the necessary courses to gain entry to the Accounting degree at the University of Western Sydney with my admission being confirmed while I was away in Malaysia.

I left a Filing Clerk, experienced a most wonderful opportunity through the support of my employer Condon Associates, and the Department of Defence, and returned to begin my new professional career.

What a year 2009 was!! What an experience Malaysia was!! Here’s to 2010 and what the future holds.