Lifestyle change leads to the air force

Georgia Woodhouse used to work a winery, living with her cat and selling her handmade ceramics at the market. But she knew it wasn’t her “calling”.

This month, she will graduate from the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) as an aircraftman.

It’s been a “complete 180 in lifestyle”, Woodhouse said, reflecting on the past three months of training.

“Right from day dot it was very strict. A huge change from civilian life.”

Woodhouse said it hadn’t been straightforward figuring out what career she wanted, and she had no “set route” after finishing high school. After studying French and Classics at Victoria University, she spent two summers in the United States teaching students to water ski, before returning to Blenheim, where she worked for a time in the wine industry.

But it was her brother becoming an air force recruit in 2023 that really “piqued her interest,” she said.

Their parents were ex-air force, having served in the 80s.

Although her mother called it “the family business”, they had never really pushed their children towards the career, and Woodhouse actually applied without telling them, waiting until she had been accepted into the course to break the news.

She wanted to head into the course at Base Woodbourne alongside 60 other new recruits “fresh”, she said, and encounter the surprises like any other recruit.

One such surprise was getting to put all her learnings into action at Dip Flat training week at the top of the Wairau Valley.

“Dip Flat is definitely a highlight of the course.”

The dynamic military environment put the recruits in a range of real-world scenarios, such as night time patrols and quick-fire responses, in order to test their knowledge. “I’m quite an outdoorsy person so it’s nice to get out of the classroom environment and into the action.”

After graduating on April 19, Woodhouse would complete specific trade training at Woodbourne before moving to Base Ohakea later in the year.

As an air warfare specialist, Woodhouse would fly on the P-8A Poseidon, processing and analysing information to support a range of surveillance flights.

“I’m really interested in helping the humanitarian assistance and disaster response work the NZDF does.”

RNZAF Georgia Woodhouse will graduate from the air force recruit course this month, joining the “family business”. RNZAF recruits. above, conduct patrols as part of their training.