First female officers for TDS [1]
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 - 15:54. Updated on Thursday, July 30, 2015 - 16:30.
Cadet officers 'Ungatea Tu'ivailala and Fuatapu Halangahu of the Tonga Defence Services graduated from the Royal Military College in Canberra, Australia on June 23.
'Ungatea (24) is a pilot trainee and Fuatapu (22) is a cadet commanding officer.
A Press Conference at Sene, the TDS headquarters, on June 3 the two girls talked about the challenges they faced during their 18 months at the Royal Military College and having to adjust to the new Australian environment and culture.
Lt Col Siamelie Latu said the graduation of the two cadet officers was historical because they would be the first TDS female officers. He said that two female officers were temporarilyy commissioned for special missions to Bougainville and the Solomon Islands during the 1990s but the TDS never had permanent female officers.
He commended their achievements and the fact that they had represented the TDS and Tonga well.
The two cadet officers had not been formally commissioned by TDS yet but they would do so soon after the defence board endorsed it, he said.