Jody Hillier has never been afraid to ask the uncomfortable question.
When she first visited a Soldier On facility several years ago, one thing immediately caught her attention.
‘Where are the women?’ she asked.
She agrees a lot has changed since, but back then, after spending 25 years in the Royal Australian Air Force, the absence she noticed was impossible to ignore.
Women had served alongside her throughout her military career. They had deployed, led teams, navigated transition and built successful careers after service. Yet when Jody looked around, she struggled to see them reflected in the veteran space.
The question sparked conversations that have continued to shape her role as a Soldier On Ambassador ever since.
‘I always think you’ve got to see it to be it,’ she says.
For Jody, representation isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about ensuring veterans can recognise themselves in the stories, services and communities designed to support them.
That perspective comes from a career that rarely followed a conventional path.
Growing up near Mackay in regional Queensland, Jody worked in banking before deciding she wanted greater stability and opportunity. She joined the Air Force in her early twenties and never looked back.
Over the next 25 years, she built a career that took her from enlisted ranks to commissioned officer, deployed to East Timor as part of the first rotation in 1999 and later represented Australia in the United States on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
‘That was incredible,’ she says.
‘What an opportunity.’
The posting became one of the highlights of her military career, allowing her family to live in America for four years while she worked on one of the world’s most significant defence programs.
Military service also delivered an unexpected surprise.
Discovering a family connection
Years after joining the Air Force, Jody met her birth father and discovered a family history she had never known existed.
‘I walked into the house and here’s a picture of my grandfather in a flying suit and a RAF hat,’ she says.
Her grandfather had served in the Royal Air Force and her family was related to Albert Ball, one of Britain’s most celebrated First World War flying aces.
‘I was already in the Air Force,’ Jody says.
‘There’s this whole bit of my family that I knew nothing about.’
While the discovery was remarkable, Jody had already forged her own path.
After leaving Defence, she moved into senior roles with major defence companies including Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Throughout that time, she remained closely connected to Soldier On and the veteran community.
When the opportunity arose to become an Ambassador, she welcomed it.
Since then, she has represented Soldier On at Government House functions, corporate partner events, industry conferences and fundraising activities. She has spoken to organisations about the importance of supporting veterans and shared her own experiences to help raise awareness of the challenges that can accompany transition from military service.
Retirement in January 2025 has only strengthened her desire to contribute.
‘More than happy to help out anywhere and any way I can, as long as I’m available,’ she says.
Investing in veteran wellbeing
Jody would like to spend more time engaging with veterans, supporting Soldier On activities and helping organisations understand the value of investing in veteran wellbeing.
She also wants to ensure women veterans feel visible within the broader veteran community.
From firsthand experience, she knows how quickly assumptions can be made.
On Anzac Day this year, she predicted somebody would ask whose medals she was wearing.
Before long, someone did.
The moment reinforced something she has known for years – many Australians still hold a narrow view of what a veteran looks like.
‘I’m not what some would consider to the stereotypical veteran,’ she says.
Rather than becoming frustrated, Jody uses those moments as opportunities to challenge perceptions and start conversations.
She also understands that transition can be difficult, particularly for veterans who lose the structure, identity and support networks that military life provides.
‘I think transitioning out can be quite lonely and it can be quite isolating,’ she says.
‘It really is important to have that group around you at the time.’
That understanding sits at the heart of her ambassador role.
Whether she is speaking at an event, supporting a Soldier On initiative or sharing her own experiences, Jody wants veterans to know support is available and that no one has to navigate life’s challenges alone.
‘I like to be quite a positive influence on people around me, if I can,’ she says.
‘If I can shed some light and bring some hope to someone, I certainly will.’
After a career spent opening doors, breaking stereotypes and embracing opportunities, Jody continues to bring that same energy to her work as a Soldier On Ambassador.
And if that encourages others to see themselves differently – or to see veterans differently – then she considers that time well spent.
