Seeing the world through Adrimal Binoculars

To list the more significant achievements: Bourne, who hails from Arima, is presently the most senior female commissioned officer in the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

She was one of the first female ship captains, one of the first female officers to successfully complete training at the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom, and she left the Royal College with the Queen’s Award of the “Admiral Binoculars”, which is the highest award given to an international student.

Since joining the Coast Guard in February 2002 she was given the same opportunities as her male colleagues and she has excelled.

“Being a woman in any male-dominated environment is always difficult because you have to prove yourself and work a bit harder to get the same bit of recognition as a male counterpart. Our actions and decisions are often scrutinised more, but women are growing as a force in the military,” Bourne says.

She has an authoritative tone, but was relaxed and smiling during her interview with Women’s Weekly, at Newsday’s Chacon Street office. She got comfortable in the chair, perhaps not to appear intimidating though her sword, which serves as a mark of command, was close by - close enough to intimidate .

The Coast Guard is the only military service where woman can do any type of job, and that was a big appeal for Bourne. She was not interested in any military administrative positions; she wanted to serve and to lead.

She recognises the important position she holds as a woman who is in a leading role in the military, but she prefers that people pay attention to her capabilities as a commanding officer and not necessarily as a female commanding officer.

Kele-Ann’s father, retired Staff Sargeant Kenneth Bourne was in active service when she was deciding on career choices, but initially she had no interest in the military. Her first job was a desk job and it became pretty mundane after a short while.

“I saw an ad in the papers for female officers in the Coast Guard and I responded to the call. My life has changed so much since then and I would not trade my experiences in the military for anything,” she says flashing a smile.

Shortly after joining the Coast Guard Bourne went off to study at the Royal Naval College. She returned and worked at the Tobago Base and was just settling in when hurricane Ivan devastated Grenada. She was involved in this country’s humanitarian relief to Grenada, serving as the Executive Officer of the Supply Ship. She had additional responsibility for accountability, shipment and distribution of the relief supplies.

She recalls the experience which had a profound impact on her: “Grenada was seriously devastated and just being able to assist and to bring relief to people, whether it was food or water, or just talking to people offered a kind of fulfillment that some people work all their life and never get to experience.”

After the Grenada relief effort, Bourne worked her way up to captain a Fast Patrol Craft, which is a big deal in the Coast Guard. She has been elevated from Mid-Shipman to Sub-Lieutenant then Lieutenant and now Ag. Lieutenant Commander. During the years she was climbing, she had been responsible for the safe conduct of maritime operations in Tobago, St. Kitts and Antigua and Barbuda.

In her current role, she serves as Provost Officer, the Base Commander Tobago Command and Base Command Staubles Bay and Regulating Officer with responsibility for managing over one thousand persons within the Coast Guard from their enlistments to retirement from service, which includes their professional development, advancement/promotions, leave assignments and discipline.

Battling stereotypes

But the stereotypes about women in the military did not escape her: She has heard the usual comments about what women can and cannot do as officers and how they are emotional creatures, among other equally sexist things. She happily embraces being a woman who brings different perspectives to the military - it’s what she sees as a nurturing style of leadership not weak leadership.

“This is one of our strengths as women officers being able to operate in this environment, keeping our emotions in check as well as embracing the positives of what our gender brings to various roles in the military. Right now we have a woman in the defence force who is leading a battalion,” Bourne boasts.

She believes that the Trinidad and Tobago military gives women the same opportunities as men, but stresses that these opportunities means very little without hard work. She explains that officers are elevated in rank after serving for a number of years, passing professional examinations and being recommended for promotions.

For her, every single achievement was because of God’s favour and her family’s support.

“The lord has favoured me...I am here because he has given me the strength to be here. Also, my family has been so supportive throughout all of this,” she stresses.

Looking ahead

Like a diamond which is formed under pressure, Bourne has shone brilliantly from the day she joined the Coast Guard. She has shown true grit and has lead with distinction during her short career.

She is still humbled by the love she was shown at the Independence Day parade. “It was so wonderful to have people share in my success...and they were so warm to me, it was really a humbling experience,” she says.

So what is next for her?

She breaks into giggles when a colleague who accompanied her says, “Marriage!” She envisions her next goal is to successfully complete her degree, as she is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Management Studies at the University of the West Indies.

In addition to her military career work, Bourne participates in regular marathons. She has been a part of the Scotiabank Women Against Breast Cancer 5K and the UWI SPEC International Half-Marathon.