21 March 2025
Three aviators from around the country have been named emerging leaders and role models for other young people in defence industry.
They were selected for achieving significant outcomes in the early stage of their careers, having overcome challenges or obstacles and for their mentoring and volunteer work.
The three Air Force recipients of Australian Defence Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Awards for 2024 were Flying Officer Casey-Lee Rebellato, Flight Lieutenant Kaylee Verrier and Flying Officer Ema Kobayakawa.
Flying Officer Rebellato, a personnel capability officer (PCO) with 2 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Pearce, established the Mentoring@OTS program, which helps ease new members into the Defence environment and aims to boost retention during the first weeks of training.
Since losing her sister to suicide when she was 20, Flying Officer Rebellato has been committed to supporting others with mental health struggles. She frequently speaks at unit and base mental health events and engages with organisations like RSL for Life, to mentor and help rehabilitate veterans.
Flight Lieutenant Verrier, an aeronautical and space engineer with Space Command, plans and executes space domain exercises. With Space Command having only been established in 2022, Flight Lieutenant Verrier has been helping to create Space Force Generation processes for the ADF, including assisting with developing opportunities for trainee officers in ADFA to encourage space careers and awareness.
She actively encourages young women to pursue STEM careers by participating in fundraising activities and presenting at events. She also serves as a gender focal point in the ADF.
Flying Officer Kobayakawa is an air traffic controller with 452 Squadron at RAAF Base Tindal. Born and raised in Japan to an Australian mother, she has used her Japanese language skills to serve as a linguist for a number of international exercises. Flying Officer Kobayakawa has volunteered in numerous ADF roles and in the wider community.
Additional to the three inductees, Flight Lieutenant Kelly Harris, a junior PCO manager with the Directorate of Personnel – Air Force, was shortlisted as a finalist.
The awardees were recognised earlier this month at a ceremony at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, attended by the Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell and other members and awardees from the ADF.
