It's Not You We Salute

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) shares a campus with the University College of the University of New South Wales (UNSW). About a thousand Officer Cadets and Midshipmen live and study at ADFA. During the week, Cadets attend UNSW lectures like any student enrolled at university. Except they wear uniform and march between classes. And salute.

Officers posted to ADFA quickly learn to avoid being outside when Cadets change classes. Cadets approaching an Officer must crisply salute, accompanied by a loud ‘Sir!’ or ‘Ma’am!’. An Officer moving between buildings could return dozens of salutes. To a civilian observer, this would appear to be an impressive display of Command.

Once I was wearing civilians and felt safe to venture out during the change of classes. I was immediately struck by the noise. The couple of times I’d been caught transitting in uniform, the only sounds amidst the salutes and polite call of ‘Sir!’ from the passing Cadets, was the cadence of polished shoes on brick paving.

In my civilian rankless anonymity, the Cadets, while still marching, casually chatted as they approached and passed me, safely themselves: young men and women in conversation and friendship.

Anyone in positional power should stay humble.

It’s not your charisma luring us to meetings to stay and nod. It’s our mortgages.

It’s not your wisdom persuading us to do as you say. It’s school fees.

It’s not your natural leadership that wins our obedience. It’s employment laws.

It’s not your metaphor of ‘family’ that gains our affection. We have our own.

It’s not you we salute. It’s our village that raised us.

In recent times someone at ADFA sensibly declared the paths to and from the lecture theatres and tutorial rooms a ‘Non Saluting Area’. There was no outbreak of anarchy.

Declare your workplace a ‘Non-Parenting Area’ and see if we take up the offer.