Technically, Antarctica is the world’s largest desert.  

Justin Wallace said that didn’t make moving from the ice to the Middle East any less jarring. 

“I think there’s about a 100 degrees Celsius difference between the Antarctic and the desert sands in Iraq,” he said. 

“Life has taken me some interesting places.” 

From the outside, Justin’s life might appear to veer between polar opposites like this. 

Formerly an Australian Defence Force (ADF) Commissioned Engineering Officer, he’s now a Bachelor of Nursing Science graduate from the University of the Sunshine Coast. 

But to Justin, there is a very a clear through line in all of it. 

“My value of service and finding ways to support my community. It’s something that has always been important to me,” he says. 

Serving in the ADF took Justin into three theatres of conflict, including Iraq, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.

His duties spanned everything from managing workshops with up to 100 service personnel and maintaining complicated electronic systems, to developing ADF trade training programs and managing career portfolios for hundreds of service men and women. 

“In that world, you see the absolute best and worst that people are capable of, and the impact that can have,” he says. 

He wanted a change. An ADF medical separation gave him a chance to reflect on what a different future could look like. 

“I looked at my values, and I came back to that idea of service. But I wanted a different pathway.  

“Nursing stood out to me as something that aligned with that value.” 

Justin said the seed for this thought was planted twenty years prior, in unusual circumstances. 

“More than twenty years ago, I spent a year with the Australian Antarctic Program in between defence postings, working as a communications technical officer at Mawson Station,” he said. 

“There was only 26 of us wintering down there, so you needed to be self-sufficient and open to learning new skills. One of my additional roles was nursing support to the station doctor. 

“We received two weeks of training in basic perioperative (theatre) nurse skills at the Hobart Public Hospital with an amazing educator there, Dianne. 

“I absolutely loved it. The experience showed me what a career path in nursing could look like.” 

Two decades later in 2022, Justin took his first steps along that path and started a Bachelor of Nursing at UniSC in Moreton Bay.  

“The lecturers, the tutors, students, study groups, and everyone I interacted with through the outside opportunities – it was just an absolute pleasure,” Justin said. 

Four years later, Justin was standing on the graduation stage at Moreton Bay delivering the Graduand Address to his cohort, with a degree and University Medal for Academic Excellence in hand, and a new purpose. 

“When I gave that address, I wanted to reflect on the idea of ‘being where your feet are’.

"We live such fast-paced lives – always looking to the future – that we sometimes forget to be present with ourselves, our patients, and our values. I think it’s a cornerstone to therapeutic communication, which supports patient-centred care. 

“Understanding that value of service and being where your feet are, that came from my experiences with Trojan’s Trek, an organisation delivering programs that help improve recovery outcomes for veterans and first responders through peer-led, lived experience support programs.” 

Service is still at the forefront for Justin, particularly outside the classroom.  

He has volunteered nursing support to vulnerable populations and people experiencing homelessness with One Bridge, and aided advocacy and policy efforts for his colleagues with the Australian College of Nursing. 

“That work in particular has prompted me to explore a potential pathway into research. I’m currently looking at doing Honours year, but I’m still reflecting on whether I want to go to down that avenue,” he said. 

“I’m just taking it one step at a time. Being where my feet are.”