A Powerful Urge To Give Back

He felt a powerful urge to give back. 

Born in Venezuela, Jonathan and his wife had watched inflation soar to record heights as opportunities plummeted to new depths, forcing the pair to pool their resources and leave. 

Now an Information Security Officer with RSL Queensland, Jonathan says his family’s quest for safety, security and sunshine led them straight to Brisbane and soon after, in 2016, to RSL Queensland. 

Last year, he joined the Army Reserves and completed five weeks of rigorous training to finally give back to the country he says has given him and his family so much. 

“We have a magnificent quality of life here and we have been given the ability and the opportunity to raise our family and set our foundation in this country, and it’s been like that since the first day we arrived,” Jonathan says. 

“And that’s why I have always had this powerful urge to give back to Australia – not only for myself but for my wife. 

“When we left Venezuela, the Communist Party had been in power for 12 years and the situation in general was worsening every day. There was a mass exodus of professionals fleeing the country for places like the US, Panama, Spain, Chile, Colombia, and Portugal (to name a few). 

“Every single professional who had the potential to leave did. So, while my wife and I were working for a good company with a good position and a good job and salary, we couldn’t even afford to buy a house. So, we joined that mass exodus.” 

Jonathan says Australia presented the best opportunities for migrants who wanted to study and work part time, and Brisbane – above all the cities they researched – offered the best weather and quality of life. 

Just a few years after setting foot in the sunshine state, Jonathan was approached on LinkedIn to apply for a role at RSL Queensland. And in one single career move he realised precisely how to give back to the nation he now calls home. 

“I quickly realised that I was working for company that was about far more than just making money – but taking care of others and particularly those who used the best of their abilities protect our nation. Somewhere, in my subconscious, I started developing the idea of serving in the Reserves because I also believed I could use my abilities to serve this country,” he says. 

“So, in October last year, I joined.” 

Jonathan underwent the “basic military training” required of every soldier – which meant five gruelling weeks that pushed his mind and body beyond what he ever thought they were capable of. 

“It was pretty tough, and it was a very unique experience. But I loved it and I truly appreciated it. That said, I will never repeat it again,” he laughs. 

“You have to pass every test knowing you can’t fail because if you do, you’re sent home. If you want to attempt it again in the future, you have to start the training right from the beginning. 

“And if you get sick, injured or miss more than three days of training it’s the same story. This means that with COVID, the situation was even more stressful.” 

Then there was the yelling. 

“You also have to wake up before 6am pretty much every day and you never know what’s going to happen. Some days, we were lucky to finish before 10pm,” Jonathan says. 

“On top of that, I had to deal with the language barrier and within the booth platoons, I was the only person from South America.” 

“In the end, in my platoon, there were just two of us who were non-native English speakers who finished and marched out. 

“It’s incredible how proud I felt in that moment when I draped the Australian flag over my left shoulder and sang that anthem.” 

For decades, our Australian Defence Force Reserves have served proudly alongside full-time Defence members in times of war, conflict, peacekeeping operations, national disasters and emergencies.

Today is a day that the nation recognises them – Reserve Forces Day.

To all current and former members of the Reserves, and to all their families and employers who support them, we say thank you.

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