From admitted lawyers to film students and teachers, the civilian lives of Australian Army Reservists are incredibly varied.
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The Examiner spoke to members of the 12/40 Battalion Royal Tasmania Regiment at a recent training exercise in regional Victoria.
Lance Corporal Kristian Wynn, currently working with the Department of Health, said - like many others - his involvement came down to camaraderie and mateship.
"Sometimes there are really hard times out there, but you know that you're sharing it with a bunch of guys that are going through the same thing," Corporal Wynn said.
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"And that not only helps you get through it, but it means you are building these really intense friendships that last a long time."
"We've pretty much had one of us in a conflict the whole way back," Corporal Wynn said of his family ties to the defence force. He himself has been with the reserves for seven years now.
"It's not necessarily my primary motivator in being here but it's something I like to look back on."
"I can give my grandfather a call and tell him about something I did and he would completely sympathise, because at the end of the day soldiering never really changes."
Private Damon Heather wasn't sure what he wanted to do in grade twelve, and went into an Australian Defence Force gap year after finishing - the first family member he is aware of to do so.
"Once I finished up I decided not to stay but I wanted to stay in the Reserves," he said. "It's definitely the mateship I think."