RAAF Amberley is home to over 5000 uniformed and civilian personnel, and 21-year-old local Albert Sandor hopes to be joining them after graduating recently.
The Bundamba resident graduated from the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra and was promoted to Pilot Officer in the Air Force.
Still with a year left in Canberra before his first posting, he told Local Ipswich News that he hoped to be based locally at Amberley to be close to family while he continues to pursue his dreams in the defence force as an aeronautical engineer.
“I’ve graduated from the academy, but because engineering degrees are for four years, we have to do an honours year for the extra year,” he said.
“I started at a pretty young age, around 15, when I joined the Australian Air Force Cadets at Amberley.
“That really got my interest in aviation and especially the Air Force to be specific.
“Since then, I just strived towards taking those subjects in school that assist me in getting into the military, especially the STEM subjects.”
His graduating class consisted of 310 members who will now go on to be passionate about the defence force and protecting our way of life.
Sandor said Cadets provided experience and taught valuable lessons for anybody looking to pursue a career in the defence forces.
“It helps with your leadership skills and your employability,” he said.
“When you are applying for a degree in the Defence Force, you can show you have
experience in areas that are important from your time in the Cadets.”
Having moved to Australia in 2016 with his family from Hungary, Sandor has gained citizenship and is passionate about serving his country.
“I want to serve my country and a career in the Air Force really appealed to me because of my interest in engineering and STEM,” he said,
“If I wasn’t in the ADF I would be doing some kind of engineering in the civil engineering world – so it lined up really well.
