F e a t u r e s
The Honeymoon Period…
We had the most amazing wedding day and the weather was glorious. We didn’t take a honeymoon straight away as my husband was unable to take time off at that time, but we didn’t mind as it gave us something else to look forward to later on in the year.
Another thing I was really looking forward to was living in married quarters because although you can get involved as a girlfriend, it’s not quite the same as living on base and really being part of it all. On seeing our quarter for the first time I have to say I was a little disappointed though. It wasn’t quite the standard I was expecting but I contacted the Station Community Support Officer (SCSO) who was a great help and he really took an interest in trying to get things sorted out for us and the RAF Families Federation were great too. We have been told by the Defence Estates Housing Officers that some things won’t be put right because there was no money in the housing budget. I think is a real shame as I think housing should be a higher priority. We are luckier than some though and it’s nothing we can’t live with so we have done a few bits ourselves and now that our furniture is in it really feels like home.
Sometimes a first encounter with the RAF can be difficult, especially if you are not the one in uniform.
Here Gemma Jones describes her first impressions of RAF life shortly after marrying a Serviceman…
H
ere I am sitting in our very first married quarter, a newly married RAF wife of two months. Brett and
I have been together for around four years and in that time I’ve learnt a lot about the RAF way of life. I used to like being in control and having everything planned but as you will all know, that doesn’t really happen when it comes to being in the Forces. So I’ve adapted to things happening at the last minute and as a result I am now much more relaxed and have a sort of ’whatever happens’ attitude which I think helps…
Before getting engaged Brett and I did the long distance relationship thing and only saw each other at weekends until I decided that the best thing would be to move nearer to his base and we rented a flat in the nearest town. It was a massive thing for me, as like many other wives and girlfriends of serving personnel this meant leaving my job, family and friends. I soon realised that this was
20 Envoy Winter 2010
the best thing I had ever done though, as I quickly made friends and got a good job at a local college. Living together near the base before getting married was a real help because it meant that before we got married I had already established a good group of friends and had an understanding of what it would be like to be ‘married to the RAF’.
We are based at RAF Odiham which I quickly realised was a very social station and thanks to a fab email newsletter that partners can sign up to, we hear about all of the social events happening on station and locally. This means you can easily get involved in lots of things from Ladies Guest nights at the Officers’ Mess, Diva’s Dining in Nights (a fun night just for the girls) and even information evenings at the WACC (Welfare and Community Centre). I even decided to set up a group on Facebook, RAF Odiham WAGs which has really taken off and we meet up about once a month.
Brett and I got married in July this year and I was so excited about becoming a ‘RAF Wife’.
We both totally embrace the RAF lifestyle, it’s not just a job, it’s a way of life and although Odiham is a very operational base and it’s hard when he goes away, we make the best of the situation and we wouldn’t change things for the world. My husband has a job he loves and we have a lower cost, good size house to live in and I live just doors away from some of my best friends. I’ve got more friends now than I have ever had and we all support each other when the boys are away. I knew that getting married would give us more opportunities and benefits and being on the married patch would be a real community. Your neighbours really do pop round with a pot plant to say Hi and welcome to the married patch.
We’ve been here a week now and I’m really excited about our future. I already have lots of things booked in my diary such as drinks round at the girls, Oktoberfest in the bar and the Christmas Draw. I work full-time but I intend to get involved in as many things as I can in the evenings and make good use of the station gym and other facilities.
From my experience of being an RAF girlfriend and now a wife, being in a relationship with a serving person isn’t an easy job and some people suit it more than others but life is what you make it so we just make the best of the time we have when we’re together.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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