Cassie Brooker
Army, Painter
The daughter of a Vietnam War veteran, Cassie grew up in a small, New Zealand town.
She was creative from an early age and her father encouraged and mentored her passions while ensuring that she learned important life lessons. Using his experiences as a Lead Scout in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR) in South Vietnam, he honed her hunting, shooting and survival skills and strengthened her resilience.
Those early days of outdoor adventures with her father within the natural environment played a strong role in the development of her personal artistic style and chosen subject matter. Her creativity flourished during that early childhood period, both at school and through her various extra-curricular activities, where she was able to explore a range of mixed media techniques, technical drawing, cartooning, Maori bone carving, screen printing, and much more.
She considers herself a true ANZAC, having pride in both her father’s Kiwi heritage and her Australian mother’s family history. As well as her father, she has family members who served in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in both World War I and II. It was this lineage, as well as her father’s military service in Vietnam that inspired Cassie to enlist first to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1996, and then continue her service into her current role with the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
By 2021, Cassie had served for over 21 years as an Intelligence Officer specialised in Imagery and Geospatial Intelligence systems and remote sensing. She also completed a research thesis on a Chief of Army’s scholarship in 2019 into information warfare.
She was deployed twice to Iraq, on Operation Catalyst in 2007 and Operation Okra in 2016, and served in Afghanistan in 2012 on Operation Slipper. It was during these deployments that Cassie weighed down her pack with art materials, using art as a means of relaxation.
Her artwork represents subject matter that is equal parts personal and distinctive. Specifically, her war-focused pieces reflect a combination of her military background, her father’s experiences, the importance of mateship, and the harsh beauty of war and its associated landscapes.
“Art is an alternative communication method. It creates a stillness, a mindfulness, and there’s no judgement of whatever marks you want to make on the paper. It’s your own journey.
“You also control the process and decide the outcome, which is often in contrast to our military work where we’re frustrated by a lack of control over situations or decisions that impact our lives.
“As a self-confessed ‘map addict’, I’m interested in landscape ecology, patterns in nature and the interconnectedness of the landscape - where contours could become geological formations or swirling water, or perhaps now it’s tree bark, a Paua shell, or maybe even a fingerprint.”
Cassie’s sporty background, bush craft skills, creativity, and Girl Guide experiences provided a solid foundation for the career she has pursued in the ADF.
“Since joining the ADF, I’ve learnt the importance of understanding the terrain and being able to blend into the geography of the battle space.”
Cassie is passionate about telling her story to other veterans, and society more broadly.
“I want to increase awareness of the role that art plays in creating a dialogue of the impacts of operational service, highlighting important narratives about the subject matter,” she says.
“Art has the power to provide a healing mechanism to veterans, and civilians. It’s a remarkable space we can all look to explore, when going through difficult times.”
