On Monday, Commander Janette "Jan" Kingham, nee Buchholz, retired after a 42-and-a-half-year career in the navy.
"I joined for an adventure and that’s exactly what I’ve had. It has been a great adventure."
Originally from Dunedin, Cmdr Kingham went to Logan Park High School before heading north and joining the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1982 as a communications radio operator.
At the time, women were not allowed to go to sea or take many of the paths available to men.
In 1989, this rule changed and women were allowed to serve on the water.
"I have seen a lot of change over the years. Our navy has come a long way in many areas ... over the years, we have seen our women deploy on ships and join trades that were never open for women."
When women were given the choice to go to sea, Cmdr Kingham considered it, but decided to remain ashore to raise a family.
"I didn’t go to sea because I chose not to go to sea — my family, believe it or not, always came first."
In 2015, Cmdr Kingham was the first navy woman to be named as New Zealand Defence Force Person of the Year.
She was presented with the award in recognition of her work as an induction trainer in the navy’s recruit training squadron from 2011-14 — the first woman to hold the job.
"Throughout my career, I’ve been asked many times if joining the navy as a young person was a good thing to do and would I do it again.
"My answer is still the same — absolutely."
After her award in 2015, she travelled to France and Belgium with her husband, where they took part in the Anzac commemoration — an experience she described as a "very, humbling experience and a very proud moment".
"I leave the navy with mixed emotions, but absolutely no regrets."
Cmdr Kingham is officially retiring and going back to civilian life, but they cannot keep her away.
She has joined the navy cadets and if they ever need help, she will be there.
Spending time with her family and helping with her young grandson was her immediate retirement plan but, after some rest and relaxation, she plans to get into community work and volunteering.
"I’d like to do some voluntary community work, because I’ve never really done that, and I’ve never had the opportunity or time, I guess.
"I’ve spent about three-quarters of my entire life in uniform.
"It’s a big statistic — now I’ll have a little bit of a break."
