Leading Seaman Razaz Glaidous grew up watching her mother rebuild her life with courage, dignity and purpose. Today, she proudly continues that legacy - helping shape cultural development in Navy and championing equity for all.
For the 26-year-old aviation support sailor (AVN), belonging is found in the moments where she can help create environments in which people feel respected and valued. It's in those spaces she feels most connected to Navy and most driven to make a meaningful difference.
"It's about being a woman of colour in an environment where there aren't many people like me," Leading Seaman Glaidous said.
"That intersection shapes how I experience a sense of belonging.
"I feel like I belong in Navy most in those moments when we focus on creating a space where people feel safe, seen and validated, and I get to be a voice for those who have not found it yet."
'If you feel safe, seen and validated, then chances are you'll feel as though you belong.'
The passionate and dedicated leading sailor is driven by her inspirational mother, who fled conflict in Eritrea, North East Africa in 1967. Her mother moved to Egypt and then studied in Algeria, before settling in Melbourne in 1987 and raising four girls as a single working mother.
"My mum gained a social work degree and worked with female victims of domestic violence," Leading Seaman Glaidous said.
"Mum changed people's lives. She's a superwoman.
"Every Harmony Day, mum would volunteer, cook traditional food and get us involved," she said.
Throughout her life and career, Leading Seaman Glaidous has experienced challenges that she feels are largely related to her background and identity. Rather than allowing those moments to define her, she draws on her lived experience to guide her advocacy work, using it to champion positive cultural change.
"I often tell myself, why should I let my challenges get to me after all Mum endured to raise me in Australia?" Leading Seaman Glaidous.
"Mum walked so I could stand, so now I need to stand up for what's right."
Leading Seaman Glaidous joined Navy in 2018 and undertook the Gap Year Program. She did not intend to stay but changed her mind during her time in HMAS Adelaide, when she decided to become a helicopter controller (AVN) and finished her public heath degree.
She completed her AVN training in HMAS Albatross in 2019, served in HMAS Canberra III and the now decommissioned 808 Squadron before returning to HMAS Adelaide III in 2024. She is currently the assistant regulator at Training Authority Aviation, HMAS Albatross.
'It's about asking how systems can better support women, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with different ways of thinking or working.'
Leading Seaman Glaidous' true passion is promoting equity, which she does through her work with the Navy Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) network. The CALD network includes one of six key diversity reference groups established to support, represent and promote the inclusion of Navy personnel from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, ensuring they feel valued.
"Belonging is a feeling, personal to each of us," Leading Seaman Glaidous said.
"If you feel safe, seen and validated, then chances are you'll feel as though you belong.
"It's about asking how systems can better support women, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with different ways of thinking or working."
Leading Seaman Glaidous represented Navy at the 2024 ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security - part of Navy's Indo-pacific Endeavour in Jakarta.
"The summit was like a global reference group," Leading Seaman Glaidous said.
"Women from a diaspora of backgrounds came together to empower others, through the sharing of their lived experiences."
Leading Seaman Glaidous acknowledges cultural change is an evolution that takes time, and she remains committed to being part of that process. Having often served in spaces where few shared her background, and inspired by the strength and courage shown by her mother, she continues to help others feel a deep sense of belonging in Navy.
