When Davina Mansfield watched the September 11 attacks play out live on television, she felt the call to protect and serve. Growing up in Delaney’s Creek, a small town in Queensland, she was already eager for adventure and a chance to see more of Australia. So, on 11 December 2001, she enlisted in the Royal Australian Army Dental Corps.
During her five years of service, Davina met and married Jack, a Signals Technician, and they started a family. Having both spouses in active service provided great opportunities for seeing different places, making new friends and enjoying a shared purpose, but it also presented its challenges. Nothing drove that home for Davina more than having her youngest son alone while Jack was away on pre-deployment training – an experience she describes as the catalyst for her desire to discharge.
Spending the next decade or so as a Defence spouse, Davina relished the role of “serving her family on the home front”, though she still faced all those Defence family challenges: new locations, doctors, friends, daycare and jobs. Now settled in Canberra, surrounded by other Defence families who understand those experiences, she feels her family has a real sense of being at home.
As Chief Operating Officer of Viden, a veteran-owned and powered Defence Industry company, Davina is a stalwart supporter of Soldier On. She has shared her skills by presenting resume writing classes to Defence clubs at local Canberra schools, lent a hand at our working bee to change office buildings, attended Soldier On gala balls and is a mentor in the Soldier On and Boeing Australia Mentoring Program. Viden also regularly attends Soldier On’s Pathways Networking Events, with three participants having found employment with Viden so far. “Demonstrating what you can achieve out of uniform and still serve our nation in a powerful message and opportunity,” Davina says.
As a Soldier On Ambassador, she wants to spread that message far and wide. Her love for and ability to contribute to the Defence community is something she takes seriously, always aiming to pay it forward and point others in the right direction. She sums it up: “The veteran community is my community, and I will always assist if I can.”