BOWRAL woman Kim Breeze is proud to be an Australian.
And she is equally proud to have had the opportunity to serve her country in the Army Reserve.
The retired corporal said she had always wanted to join the regular army but had been deterred by her parents.
She said she decided the next best thing would be to show her commitment to her country through the Army Reserve.
And she committed 10 years to the service working in the dental corps, transport department as a driver and as a clerk.
It is a decision she has never regretted despite the tough training regime and challenges she faced to prove herself worthy as a woman in the armed services.
Corporal Stephens, as she was recognised under her maiden name, served in the Army Reserve from 1978-1988.
She was awarded an Australian Defence Medal in recognition of her service during a special ceremony in Goulburn on Monday.
She is only the second woman in the Hume electorate to receive the medal. The other recipient served in the navy.
However, Corp Stephens is quick to point out anyone who demonstrated their commitment and contribution to the nation in any of the armed services since September 3, 1945 could be eligible for the honour.
"It is simply a matter of applying for the medal," she said.
It is an award Corp Stephens looks forward to wearing with pride.
She said she was especially keen to wear the medal when she attended the annual dawn Anzac Day Service in Bowral.
Corp Stephens said she had always considered her role in the Army Reserve as a way to give a part of herself out of pride for her country.
"You understand when you join the service there is always a chance the Army Reserve could be called to national service," she said.
"That never happened to me but I took part in the many training activities necessary to prepare for such an event.
"The annual program included weekly parades, several camps plus about eight weekends each year spent on training programs in military law, protocol, weapons and driving.
"I surveyed the dental health of army personnel, Vietnamese refugees at Westmead Hospital's dental clinic and Aboriginal residents on Bathurst, Melville and Croker Islands off Darwin as part of my service.
"I was responsible for transporting weapons and other stores to training camps."
Corp Stephens said the Army Reserve was "something of a boys club" where women were pushed to the limit to prove they could do the job of the men.
However, she said the sense of achievement, when you met the challenges, made the effort worthwhile.
"I was lucky to be a part of the dental corps during my early years in the service as there was no job considered unsuitable for women in that corps, but I still had to put in 200 percent to be accepted," she said.
"I'm relatively small so the driver training program proved especially challenging because we learnt to drive in really old trucks with seats that didn't move.
"I couldn't reach the pedals and the gears were really heavy but I didn't let that beat me - I ended up spending part of my time in the Army Reserve working in transport as a driver.
"After a significant period of time I proved myself and was accepted as a worker but my suitability for the Army Reserve was never acknowledged verbally."
Corp Stephens took the tough attitude in her stride.
As far as she is concerned "what doesn't break you makes you stronger".
She is equally inspired by the book Never Say Never written by another Highlands woman and Corp Stephen's friend, Janine Shepherd.
"Her book highlighted the strength and tenacity needed to survive tough times," she said.
"You need to be tough to survive army training and I proved that toughness to myself during my training.
"There are times when you are on the parade ground and the drill sergeant calls you all the names under the sun, or when they conduct an inspection of your locker in the early hours of the morning - things can be perfect but they will still find something wrong.
"Your punishment could be to do push-ups in your underwear, in the rain in the early morning.
"There were times when I thought 'I can't believe I signed up for this', but all that is forgotten when you graduate. It is an incredibly proud time."
Corp Stephens said she would do the training all over again if she had a second chance.
She said she believed it was important for the program to be tough to ensure the mental and physical strength of all graduates.
"The drill sergeants are tough because they want to make sure you are tough," she said.
"It's about seeing what the recruits can and cannot handle.
"If you can't tolerate doing push-ups in the rain how will you survive in a situation where people are shooting at you in a war zone.
"I want to know that I can survive that situation and I want to know the person next to me is just as strong."
Corp Stephens said she considered the armed services, including the Army Reserve, an amazing career opportunity for anyone prepared for hard work.
"It is a great experience and there is a huge sense of pride when you pull on your jungle greens or dress uniform," she said.
To learn more about the service medals available to former service men and women contact the Department of Defence Directorate of Honours and Awards in Canberra
Details: honoursandawards@defence.gov.au or 1800 111 321.
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