Northern Territory, 45, Data Manager

After years of a transient lifestyle in the Defence Forces and the challenges of family illness, it’s time for Darwin-based Rachael Ciesiolka to follow her dreams.

A tough character with a can-do attitude, Rachael has lived all over Australia, thanks to her father and husband’s work: mines in the west, railways in the Territory and then Queensland for the Australian Army Corp and Royal Australian Air Force. By her count, she has lived in 24 different towns.

Husband Tim is a veteran of the Royal Australian Air Force and daughter Hayleigh is married to Bradley, a member of the Royal Australian Navy. Bucking the Defence trend, youngest daughter Katherine, 20, has recently moved to Melbourne to study Stage Management and Theatre Arts.

Rachael joined the Royal Australian Air Force herself at age 27, serving as a dental nurse for four years. Currently she is a contracted Data Manager with the Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Base Darwin, assisting with maintenance management data requirements across all Northern Territory and Queensland air bases and airports.

With Tim deployed away for work over the years, Rachael often took on the role of sole parent. Despite its challenges, Rachael is an advocate for the Defence lifestyle, and for women working within the Forces.

“The Force is like one big family,” says Rachael. “They are all very supportive of one another.”

It was an unexpected threat to Tim’s health that provided the family with its most confronting time. Tim suffered an angina attack at 36, a stroke at 37 and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer at 38. A harrowing time for Rachael, there was finally cause for celebration when, on his 40th birthday, Tim was given the all clear.

Tim’s sickness drew the close-knit family even tighter and helped them re-evaluate their priorities and realise what really matters.

For Rachael, this is food. She loves whipping up impromptu feasts for big groups of friends and family. Despising waste in the kitchen, Rachael is a crafty cook who always gets the most out of her ingredients.

“I want to prove to myself that I can do this, and to do something for me,” says Rachael of her entry into MasterChef Australia.

Rachael counts Rick Stein and Maggie Beer as her food heroes, admiring their commitment to food ethics and sustainability. They are qualities she would embrace should she realise her dream of a pet-friendly B&B in Tasmania featuring her own produce, breads and preserves.