Army Reserve his way of giving back
One of the main reasons Gavin Schoultz, a small business owner, decided to join the New Zealand Army Reserve late last year was to give back.
‘‘I am a firm believer in giving back,’’ he said.
‘‘This is my way of giving something back to a country which has given so much to my family and myself over the past decade.’’
Aware of the geopolitical landscape, Schoultz also felt that ‘‘our peace and prosperity might be under threat in the not too distant future and I would rather fight for my family and country than hide in a hole’’.
Outside of being an Army Reserve soldier in the 5th / 7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (5/7 RNZIR), Schoultz owns and runs Superior Balustrade Taranaki
The business has been running for the past two years but had to close its doors during the busiest three months of the year to allow Schoultz to conduct his New Zealand Army Reserve Basic Training, a sign of his commitment.
Schoultz completed his Basic Training over the summer in three modules. This included a primer weekend, four weeks before Christmas and then three weeks starting early January.
‘‘Basic training was quite hard and challenging, which is what I expected. I knew the physical challenges would be a mammoth task for me, being one of the older guys there.
‘‘Basic training was quite hard and challenging, which is what I expected. ’’ Gavin Schoultz
‘‘But it was more mentally tougher for me than physically.
‘‘My highlights were by far using the weapon systems, mainly the machine gun and rocket launcher,’’ an excited Schoultz said.
‘‘In the last part of our open country exercise I was acting second in command of a section and really enjoyed the opportunity.’’
5/7 RNZIR conducts a training weekend and training day at least once a month and a week-long training activity each year with the opportunities to go on professional development courses as well as humanitarian aid and deployments. ❚ Visit defencecareers.mil.nz/ army/reserves to find out more about becoming a part of the NZ Army Reserve and facebook.com/ 57.Bn.RNZIR/ to learn more about the 5th / 7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.