Walking through life with our ADF personnel
In a room rich with history at Admiralty House, Rev Kaye Ronalds reflected on faith, service and the vital pastoral care chaplains offer Defence personnel and families
February 24, 2026
Last week, Rev Kaye Ronalds, a Uniting Church Chaplain in the Australian Defence Force, found herself in a room steeped in history and meaning. She was among multifaith leaders welcomed to Admiralty House by Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn, Governor-General of Australia.
The occasion was a meeting of the ADF’s Religious Advisory Committee to the Services (RACS), a group that nurtures the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of Defence personnel and their families.
“It was a privilege to sit with my colleagues at a table in such a place, conscious that the land beneath us had been home to a hundred generations of First Peoples,” Rev Kaye reflected. “And now, chaplains from First and Second Peoples, and from many faith communities, continue to serve the people of Australia in this space.”
Rev Kaye brings decades of leadership and ministry to her role. She served as the first woman Moderator of the Synod of Queensland from 2011 to 2014, earning a reputation for her careful listening, generosity of spirit, and deep commitment to the church. She was inducted into RACS in December 2019, representing the Uniting Church alongside colleagues from other Christian denominations as well as Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Sikh faiths.
“The ADF is a multicultural and multi-faith organisation,” she said. “Chaplains from many faith groups walk alongside people as they face the routines of each day, and the crises and tragedies that life brings.”
RACS identifies and supports chaplains to serve Defence personnel, providing care for people of faith as well as those who do not subscribe to organised religion.
During her discussion with the Governor-General, Rev Kaye highlighted both the fractures and the resilience she witnesses in communities. “The pain and fear are real, and some families face tragedies that do not make the media,” she said.
“Yet many faith and community groups quietly come alongside those who struggle. That is what some chaplains in the ADF do – they help people make sense of the good, the bad and the ugly. Chaplains assist people to become whole through pastoral counselling, conversations about moral injury, grief, disappointment, love and loss.”
The Uniting Church currently provides more than 40 chaplains into the three arms of the Australian Defence Force and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. A pilot program is now extending chaplaincy services to veterans and more chaplains are required. To learn more, contact Rev Kaye Ronalds via email here.
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