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Landlocked beginnings didn't stop Dhan Khadka from sailing into the Australian Navy
As an Australian Defence Force (ADF) member, Dhan Bahadur Khadka does not look out of the ordinary. But as he hails from a landlocked country, his rank of Able Seaman may come as a surprise.
Published 24 April 2023 3:25pm
Updated 28 June 2023 1:44pm
By Abhas Parajuli
Source: SBS
Image: Able Seaman Dhan Khadka. (Supplied)
The 36-year-old still laughs upon hearing his title and name read aloud: “Able Seaman Dhan Khadka”.
Born in the Himalayan nation of Nepal, Khadka came to Australia as an international student in the final week of 2008.
Ahead of ANZAC Day, he told SBS Nepali that joining the armed forces had always been top of mind.
Able Seaman Dhan Khadka aboard an Australian Navy vessel. Credit: Supplied
He’d grown up hearing the tales of relatives who had served for the British Empire as part of the legendary Gurkha soldier regiment.
And tagging along with his father, an ex-infantry soldier in the Indian Army, only served to intensify his eagerness to join the defence corps.
“It is in my blood,” Khadka says.
But, by the time I'd fulfilled all of the requirements (to join the Australian Defence Force), the world was a different place.Able Seaman Dhan Khadka
Khadka had applied and was in Nepal holidaying when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
He says he got on to and had to spend almost a month alone in quarantine.
His first period of quarantine took place when he landed and again when he got the letter to join the Australian Navy.
“Yeah, it was an interesting time,” recalls the father-of-three.
I spent a fortnight at a hotel quarantine once I landed and another 15 days when I was called to join the service. I will never forget those days spent in quarantine speculating about the future.Able Seaman, Dhan Khadka
Khadka (second from left) with friends and families during the Nepali festival of Dashain. Credit: Supplied
Khadka’s story is not extraordinary because he had been quarantined for a month, nor is it because of his family’s military heritage.
It is because he hails from a landlocked country with the nearest sea or ocean almost 1,000 kilometres away. And it is also impressive because he is among only a handful of people from Nepal who have made it to the ADF and one of the even fewer numbers who are serving in the Australian Navy.
Early last year, he says he boarded a naval vessel for the first time in his life to participate in an official mission.
Able Seaman Dhan Khadka aboard an Australian Navy vessel. Credit: Supplied
He says steaming onboard HMAS Adelaide on his way to Tonga for Operation Tonga was as good as it gets for a boy born in the high hills of mid-western Nepal.
“There were many thoughts,” Khadka recalls.
It took a while to get used to the vastness of the Pacific (Ocean). You look everywhere, and there’s water everywhere. During the night, there’s this eeriness. I remembered my childhood friends and village, yet this was cool and rewarding.Able Seaman Dhan Khadka
Khadka says the journey to Tonga took just a few days but was satisfying.
“No amount of training or simulated exercise can give you the thrill of serving humanity,” he says.
Khadka will be participating in his second-only ANZAC Day parade in 2023 and says he relished his debut last year when he wore the Navy stripes and marched in Sydney.
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Currently stationed at HMAS Cerebus on the outskirts of south-eastern Melbourne, he is marching for the first time in front of his family and friends in this year’s ANZAC Day Parade on Tuesday.
While he says he dreams of becoming a decorated Navy officer one day, Khadka is also spruiking his homeland, the land of Mount Everest and ever-popular momos (steamed filled dumplings), to new local recruits of the Navy.
“The senior members of the Navy always come and ask me, how come you are in the Navy? The newer generation is young and is learning, so they, too, get amused when I tell them I am from a landlocked country!” he says.
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