John Love is on a journey to discover his Aboriginal heritage and, at the same time, lead other Indigenous Australians on a journey within Defence.

The proud Bundjalung man, a descendant of the stolen generations, is an Australian Public Service (APS) Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Manager within the Department of Defence. John manages a series of programmes, that aim to increase the numbers of, and opportunities for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s in Defence’s APS workforce.

“My grandmother was taken from her family and placed in a girls’ home. She doesn’t know where she came from. So, with a lack of heritage and true identity, we associate ourselves with Bundjalung country because that’s where our family lives and where I grew up,” John says.

For many years, elders of John’s family have been trying to trace the family’s history but few written records exist.

“Not only is it a journey to try to find my family roots, it’s also an education on Indigenous culture. I am quickly learning every Indigenous community is different,” he says.

John is less than six months into his new role and likens it to his previous job where he was identifying, recruiting and developing new Australian rules football talent.

“I am taking on a mentoring role, as I did in football, keeping in regular contact with our new Indigenous staff and dealing with issues early to keep them employed. It’s a two-way street, and because Defence is so dispersed, I am dealing with Indigenous people from a diverse range of cultures and regions. We are learning from each other.”

Defence offers a range of programmes to attract and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The opportunities include traineeships, cadetships, graduate programmes and affirmative employment initiatives. The programmes target Indigenous tertiary students, first-time jobseekers and those already in the workforce who are seeking to improve their skills.

John also manages the Jawun Indigenous Community Placement Programme, in which Defence employees are given the opportunity to work in Indigenous communities.

The programmes aim to improve education and employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians in Defence, and to create a more diverse workforce.

“Defence is a respectful and inclusive employer that is proud of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff,” John says.

This article was published in the Defence Magazine, December 2014