General News
28 April, 2026
Charlotte earns top army cadets award
A year after being recognised for her robotics achievements, Charlotte MacDonell has reached a new milestone, successfully completing the Deputy Chief of Army Adventure Training Award (ATA).
When The Advertiser last spoke to Charlotte MacDonell, the then 15-year-old army cadet had recently been awarded Student of Merit after completing a drones and robotics course in December 2024.
Attending National Drone Racing in Adelaide, she finished as the fastest female.
Since then, Charlotte has gone on to complete the 2026 ATA, an opportunity where only one percent of cadets in Australia are selected to take part.
Set in Tasmania, the program is considered one of the hardest for Australian cadets, featuring a hike across Mt Roland, canyoning, abseiling down waterfalls, and a 12 kilometre kayak through Lake Barrington, all within a 72 hour timeframe.
“It’s always been spoken about throughout my cadet career. I did the training and testing for it last year, passed it and got to go to Tassie. There were about 120 people in total across Australia who went,” Charlotte said.
In the lead up, she and her mother prepared by completing the Soldier on Challenge with 15 kilogram weight packs, running them up a hill before embarking on the ATA during the recent school holidays.
“For me, ATA was quite the adventure, and despite all the conditions against us, we all held remarkably high morale, which I believe is the most important thing to have to complete any challenge that comes my way,” she said.
“A fair few of us, myself included, did get a little close to hypothermia at some points but that was just part of the challenge.
“The toughest part was Mt Roland, it was 19 kilometres and we did it in nine hours, it felt like negative 11 degrees.”
Successful participants receive the highly coveted Boomerang and Torch badge, an accolade Charlotte is now the proud recipient of.
“ATA is also about pushing past your limits and I certainly went beyond what I thought I was capable of, not just physically but also mentally,” she said.
Now in Year 11, Charlotte said having a routine is fundamental in balancing these achievements with the demands of school.
“I try to get as much as I can done while I am in school. Routine is a definite,” she said.
She hopes to next year qualify for the Chief of Army Cadet Team Challenge.
