28 Oct 2015

DarpanDhawan

 Darpan Dhawan

Park Holme resident, Darpan Dhawan, is an Officer Cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra, where is he currently studying a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering.

The 18-year-old moved to Adelaide from Delhi in India with his family in 2007, and attended the Australian Science and Mathematics School.

ADFA is a unique partnership between the Australian Defence Force and the University of New South Wales. The institution combines military education and training with academic study, enabling military students to attain an undergraduate degree from one of the world’s leading universities.

Darpan particularly likes the Academy’s adventure training which includes rock climbing, high ropes and high speed water insertions, and is also is the President of the ADFA Squash Club.

“I’ve played cricket all my life, and I still love it, but when I came to ADFA I decided to take up squash instead, and I’m really enjoying it,” Darpan said.

After completing his degree, Darpan will become an Aerospace Engineer Officer – Electrical in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

In his role, Darpan will be responsible for airborne power generation and distribution, electronic control and navigation systems, automatic test equipment, radar and sonar and ground telecommunication equipment, and computer networks.

“Once I’m qualified, my day-to-day role will depend on where I am posted. Usually a Junior Officer will look after a crew of about 20 people who manage the maintenance of the aircraft,” Darpan said.

Darpan chose to study Electrical Engineering at ADFA for the challenges and opportunities that it would provide his career.

“I always wanted to do engineering, but I wasn’t sure which specialisation to choose. I asked a few people from ADFA and they said Electrical Engineering was the hardest; so that’s the one I chose. It is a hard degree but when you work things out and achieve the grades you want, it’s a great feeling.” Darpan said.

Darpan is looking forward to finishing his study and immersing himself in the RAAF, where he can employ all the skills he has learnt.

The Defence Force is currently recruiting in a number of roles. For further information on military training and study at ADFA visit: defencejobs.gov.au/adfa or call 13 19 01.