Aircraftman Steven Brookes has been awarded the JR Bartram and RA Kee Sword of Honour at the Royal Australian Air Force School of Technical Training (RAAFSTT) Visit Day, marking the first time the prestigious award has been presented in seven years.
The former Albany marine mechanic received the honour from RAAFSTT Commanding Officer Wing Commander Amanda Gosling Clarke during the annual internal careers day, which opened the doors of RAAF's largest unit to trainees and visiting squadrons.
Established in 1984 and honouring two former commanding officers who were themselves RAAFSTT graduates, the award recognises the most impressive technical trainee of the year.
"They established the award to recognise the most impressive apprentice of the year," Wing Commander Gosling Clarke said.
"We now award that to the trainee who has not only had very strong academic performance, but has been somebody who demonstrated those values that we're looking for in a technician."
Aircraftman Brookes exemplified these standards, graduating in March with an exceptional 97.5 per cent course average and also receiving a Commander's Award for leadership and teamwork.
"It was really an honour to be able to hand it out today to such a deserving graduate," Wing Commander Gosling Clarke said.
The former West Australian marine mechanic joined the Air Force seeking new challenges after his initial pilot application didn't quite meet requirements.
'Just go for it, there are a lot of opportunities.'
"My back-up option was aircraft technician [ATECH] and I managed to get into that and I'm absolutely loving it," Aircraftman Brookes said.
Now serving with 1 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley working on Super Hornets, Aircraftman Brookes credited RAAFSTT's training for preparing him well for operational squadron life.
"All the instructors are very knowledgeable, and I think it's prepared me very well," he said.
Describing the JR Bartram and RA Kee Sword award as "a huge honour", Aircraftman Brookes had words of encouragement for aspiring RAAF technicians.
"Just go for it, there are a lot of opportunities," he said.
"You get to work on some incredible stuff on a daily basis that not many people get to even see."
Despite his current success, the ambitious airman has not abandoned his pilot aspirations while continuing his technical certification journey with 1 Squadron.
"I've still got that pilot dream alive, but I'm not holding my breath - I know it's still a challenging role to get into. Even if I don't get it, I'm still absolutely loving ATECH," he said.
