Southland Christian Ministry Training
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By Ian, on September 6th, 2011%
 One of the words which comes up in my induction brief is “Encouragement”. It seems to be in short supply in the training environment here, and so I see it as part of my job to readjust that balance. But what is it? My trusty Macquarie dictionary defines it like this:
1. To inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
2. To stimulate by assistance, approval, etc”.
Thus in my context, these ponderings are part of that process, seeking to bring hope to the downhearted and light to those who feel lost in the darkness.
If you are feeling a bit low, here are five things you should know to be encouraged:
1. Know yourself! Spend some time pondering your strengths, and affirming what you have got, gifts and abilities that you can help other with. Focus on what you can do not what you can’t.
2. Know what you want out of life! Write down what your aims and goals are, your vision for the future and how what are doing now enables you to move forward towards them.
3. Know your fears! What is going to be the biggest obstacle in achieving those goals? Are they real or just imagined? Don’t allow fear of what might happen to stop you doing what you can do!
4. Know what you are saying to yourself! Self talk can make or break you – so give yourself some credit and remind yourself of all that is going well. Refuse to dwell on the negatives.
5. Know the order of things! The military is different to civilian life and someone yelling at you here does not signify the end of the world. Know how to access your chain of command and what is expected of you. They have a responsibility to mentor and train you, so seek them out and be teachable!
The military often seems very negative, but you have the ability to be positive anyway! Be encouraged!!!
“Never bend your head
Always hold it high.
Look the world straight in the face”
Helen Keller
Chaplain Ian S Whitley
By Ian, on June 7th, 2011%
One of the good things about being a chaplain in a training environment is that it gives me the opportunity to go back  to basics. One of the presentations I was working with looks at the meaning and application of the Defence Values. I will not embarrass you by expecting you to know them so here they are:
Professionalism –striving for excellence,
Loyalty – commitment to each other, our leaders and our nation,
Integrity – doing what is right,
Courage – the strength of character to do what needs to be done,
Innovation – actively looking for better ways of doing business, and
Teamwork – working together with respect and trust for the benefit of all.
It seems to me that most of the training processes cover them pretty well, though this week I was challenged to ponder the second last one – “innovation”. How do we do that when everything seems to be so regimented and inflexible? Do we really reward those of our members who are creative? Sadly it seems to me that maybe we have lost the balance and stiffled this core value.
How do we become more creative and innovative? Ponder the following:
 Challenge the norms – ask why do we do it like this? Maybe technology has moved the goal posts?
Reflect – allow time to see the big picture and be game enough to ask is this the best way of doing it?
Explore – look at all the alternatives, options and opinions. Go and get the expert advice from outside the system.
Assess – do the risk analysis, what we are doing may be the cheapest but is it the safest or the best for other reasons?
Test – can you demonstrate your findings to prove your case? Do you need more resources to make a better informed decision?
Elaborate – define the steps of how to introduce this change and what it will cost. How will you measure success or failure?
We live in an age of rapid change and conflicting messages, and all too often the threat of failure has overshadowed the possibility of success and thus stifled innovation. If we are going to be able to move forward and pursue excellence then we need to get a good balance with all the Defence Values!
Chaplain Ian S Whitley
By Ian, on May 4th, 2011%
I am currently working on a new job… training mentors. In looking at the information I will be presenting I was prompted to consider the mentors that have impacted my life. Some of them I chose, some were thrust upon me, some were good, some were not so good, but ALL of them left an impact and helped mould me into who I am today. But what makes a good mentor? As I pondered the characteristics of my mentors, their diverse methods, approaches and backgrounds, and I came up with four characteristics that defined the good ones:
- CONSISTENCY! Good mentors are reliable, the standards never change and they will always tell you the truth, when you have done a good job AND when you stuff up! They know who they are, where they are going and where they are tryng to lead you, and will consistently stay on track.
- AUTHENTICITY! The mentors I respect are the ones that modelled openness and honesty in their own lives as well as expecting the same from me. They were not hypocrites who demanded one thing from me and did the opposite when they thought I wouldn’t notice. They were true to the core, even able to admit their own problems and failures.
- UNSELFISHNESS! Those who impacted me most were the ones who gave themselves unselfishly, who in their own busy schedules made time to teach and train me, giving sacrificially with little or no thought for what they would get out of it.
- PERSISTANCY! In my experience, good mentors refused to quit, even when I did stupid things!
They did not just forget it, they dealt with the real issues and then gave me another chance, even when I didn’t think that I deserved it! You might think that you are only a mentor for a year, but good mentors will persist for many years to come!
So, whether you are a mentor or a mentoree (and many of us are both) these are the characteristics you should be working on. They are in tune with RAAF values and what God expects of us.
Maybe this is a good time to stop and think about your mentors, particularly the ones that made a positive impact. Have you ever thanked them? Do something about it today!
Chaplain Ian S Whitley
By Ian, on April 29th, 2011%
 As part of my rest and recuperation, between Easter and ANZAC Day I went walking to the top of Australia. No, I did not go to the Northern Territory, I climbed to the top of Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak on the Australian mainland. In world terms it is not very high at 2228 metres but it was a good days walk, going from Charlotte Pass, via Main Range to the top and then back down the fire trail to our starting point, in all about 23 Km. I can assure you that there were lots of ups and downs with even some snow on the high points, but what made it worth the effort were the views which were spectacular.
Pondering this journey I was reminded of the fact that life is just like that. It is all too easy to opt for the status quo, to stay in the valley where you are comfortable, to accept mediocrity and other people’s visions rather than doing the hard work of walking it yourself. This was the hardest walk I have done in a long time, but I am glad that I made the effort, even with the weariness and sore muscles I had afterwards. Are there some mountains that you have longed to climb, but never got round to? Don’t put it off!
We met many people at the top who had taken the short cut via the chairlift at Thredbo and the much easier walk along the ridge. Not everyone is called to walk the same road, and sometimes this is a smart option, or at least a stepping stone which will prepare you for greater things in the future. What is important is that you have stretched yourself, gone to new heights and become stronger in the process.
 There were many who passed us on the trail, like some young people who ran the whole track! Yet in this journey, as in life, speed was not as important as consistency and perseverance, finishing the distance. Some people who are in too much of a hurry are often the ones who get injured! Those who lack confidence are also at risk. One girl trying to cross the creek at a crucial point hesitated, refused the help of others around, and ended up completely drenched in the icy waters! We need to admit that we are not lone rangers – we need each other – and should have the confidence to ask for help when we need it, and not allow our pride to get in the way.
One final lesson which I learnt at OTS (RAAF Officer Training School) was the six P’s – “prior preparation prevents poor performance”. If you are going to do a walk like this you need to be prepared for a whole range of contingencies. I may have complained about the weight of my pack at the beginning, with all that food, water, extra clothing, wet weather gear and gloves… but we used most of it! Yes some things in life are hard, so find the positives and focus on these, as it is those challenges that will build character and make life worthwhile!
Chaplain Ian S Whitley
By Ian, on April 16th, 2011%
 It might just be that I’m getting old, but as I pondered the coming ANZAC Day I was reminded of my earliest memories of its meaning. I have a clear picture of the frail old WW1 diggers who used to come to the school I attended in the 60’s. One story stands out, that of Simpson and his donkey, which has become a legend in its own right.
John Simpson Kirkpatrick was part of the 3rd Field Ambulance and had somehow acquired a moth-eaten old donkey to help him transport men with leg injuries back down Shrapnel Gully to be treated. The way the story was told (and I suspect how I have continued to tell it) he was portrayed as a saint, a modern day good Samaritan who selflessly took risks to help his Aussie mates. Yet there was an ironic twist, instead of this story having a happy ending, on 19th May 1915, on his way up the valley he is hit in the heart and is killed.
According to Les Carlyon, in his book Gallipoli, (ISBN 0 7329 10897) Simpson was not even an Australian, though he had joined up in Australia. He was portrayed as the average bloke that you would meet in a shearing shed or on a railway gang in outback Australia, yet he was in reality more familiar with Northern England!
 Carlyon concludes that the real Simpson was probably more interesting than the legend, more rough around the edges and probably sadder. History suggests that Australians often seem to choose “quirky heroes’ (Carlyon) and the reality is that the stories of many ordinary diggers who lost their lives at Gallipoli were included in this one “picture”.
So when it comes down to it, I think that I have chosen the story of Simpson and his donkey as a meta-narrative which describes my forbears who fought and died in the ugly chaos of WW1, both at Gallipoli and in France. Like many of you, I have their medals but not their stories, and I can only imagine what they went through. I choose to believe that Ben and his older brother Joe (who was killed in France) acted heroically, put their lives on the line for their mates, with courage and conviction set the standard which has been handed down to us.
This ANZAC Day, pause to remember and honour all those thousands of unnamed myth makers who are represented in Simpson. He was not perfect, but if you are looking for a perfect example then I need to direct you to Jesus who demonstrated those same values, which is what Easter is really all about!
Chaplain Ian S Whitley
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