This book covers my years at the Australian Defence Force Academy and later years whilst I was serving with the Royal Australian Navy. The triumphs, hardships, and frequently unpleasant realities of life in a male-dominated military system are chronicled in this open and intensely personal memoir. This account details the difficulties I encountered as a mother and a woman in uniform, from the early days of rigorous training and camaraderie to dealing with prejudice, sexual assault, and institutional failures.

I share my experiences as an officer and as someone who has gone through things that many would never see, from intelligence training and elite postings to personal loss, betrayal, and perseverance, with moments of dark humor, unvarnished honesty, and deep introspection. Instead of being a story of self-pity, Comedy of Errors: Part 1 is a gripping narrative that aims to educate, inspire, and, in the end, give my daughter and others a record of what actually transpired and the reasons I persisted.