Jermaine Ostrofski
Wulli Wulli, Waka Waka
Officer Cadet
Intelligence Officer Trainee (ADFA)
Royal Australian Air Force
I am a proud Wulli Wulli man who grew up in Yuggera Country in Ipswich, Queensland. Wulli Wulli country is in the foothills to the East of the Great Dividing Range and to the west of Bundaberg. On the western border is the Dawson River, and to the south and the east is the Burnett River. For much of my childhood, I grew up under the flight path of the F111 jets from RAAF Base Amberley. When I was in high school, we moved closer to the base where if I climbed onto the roof, I could see the C-17s and Super Hornets take off and land. Seeing these awesome aircraft on a daily basis, I decided that I wanted to be around them. I looked into my options and in January 2015 I joined the Air Force as an Intelligence Officer through ADFA. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the path for me, and for some time I worked in the Personnel Branch Air Force with some amazing mentors in the Air Force Diversity and Inclusion unit.
While in the Diversity and Inclusion team, I was provided with some amazing opportunities to travel, connect with my culture and build relationships with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service personnel.
In 2017 I resigned from the Air Force to follow a different path. For a short period, I returned home to Ipswich where I worked at my old school as an athletics coach before making a big move to the Northern Territory and joining the Northern Territory Police. As a Police Officer in the Northern Territory, I have travelled to some of the most remote and beautiful places this country has to offer. I’ve also been able to immerse myself in some of the strongest, richest cultures, and further my own cultural journey. In this role, I have received the NT Administrator’s Medal for Aboriginal Community Police Officer of the Year (2020), 150 Years of NT Police Unit Citation (2020), NT Police Remote Service Ribbon (2021), COVID-19 Response Medal (2022), NT Police Medal of Valour (2024, for 2019 incident).
I strive to be a role model for our mob, especially our young ones. I try to bridge the gap between mob and police, a relationship that has never been a great one. Educating my colleagues and connecting with community. In my downtime, I head out camping, ride horses and volunteer with Riding for the Disabled Australia, teaching young disabled kids how to ride horses.