Deborah Booker

Deborah Booker
Lunga Kitja woman
Indigenous Elder of the Air Force
Leading Aircraftwoman
Royal Australian Air Force

Proud Lunga Kitja woman from Pinjarra Western Australia. On 25 February 2022, I was very honoured to be appointed by the Chief of Air Force, Group Captain Mel Hupfield, as the Royal Australian Air Force’s Indigenous Elder, following in the footsteps and remarkable legacy of the RAAF’s inaugural Elder Uncle Harry Allie AM BEM.

I worked for over twenty years in many government and community engagement positions in the Northern Territory and Queensland before deciding to enlist in the RAAF. I served my first six years in the RAAF as a permanent member, then transferred to reserve service. I found I could bring the skills, experience, and passion I gained from my previous work to my many Air Force recruitment and community engagement roles and postings across Australia. Those roles have taught me how to listen to the voices and stories of our Elders and members, of communities and the Air Force, gain knowledge from them, and show respect and empathy.

Now, in my new role as Air Force Elder, I am here to pass on all that I have learned to our aviators and service personnel, our Air Force family. I’m here as someone they can talk to, to give them confidence, and to mentor them until they’re ready to spread their own wings. As an RAAF Elder, I am also here to represent and to be a conduit for the Air Force to community and for community to Air Force so that we can all share our stories and our cultures and walk together, whatever our heritage.

So, it’s about sharing and connection—to each other, to Country, and to a shared journey towards a shared future. It’s why we are who we are and why we do what we do. We are no better than each other, but we are special, and our culture is special.