Strong families promote stronger Defence force

Defence recognises the critical role our families play in supporting Australian Defence Force members and the work they do in serving our nation.

CAPTION: Major Josh Halloran reflects on National Families Week with his wife and daughter.

This week is National Families Week, celebrated each year from 15 to 21 May.

Defence encourages the ADF community to enjoy time with their families and take part in activities in the wider community during National Families Week.

Spending time as a family to support his wife and newborn daughter, Major Josh Halloran took three-and-a-half-months parental leave.

“Full disclosure, I was pretty naïve on the childrearing front,” admitted Major Halloran.

“Needless to say, my experience was somewhat different to what I anticipated. Long story short, in between the cooking, cleaning, washing up, shopping and keeping a small human alive—there was no time left. It wasn’t hard work, but it was definitely a lot of work, and it was constant.”

“I’m a strong believer in the power of routine—my four-month old daughter, on the other hand, wasn’t convinced! In the first few weeks we arrived at a compromise— my planned routine, plus or minus an hour depending purely on her. I think we both viewed it as a win.”

Major Halloran’s experience as a stay-at-home parent strengthened his bond with his daughter and wife

“As serving members will understand, military training requires you do a range of things you’d rather not—digging pits, bayonet assault courses, stretcher carries. The reasoning is simple—it’s one thing to be ‘told’ that something is hard, but it’s another thing entirely to ‘know’ it is hard”

Stronger families and stronger communities means a stronger Defence force.

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