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SERVING AUSTRALIA WITH PRIDE

NEWSNAVYThe official newspaper of the Royal Australian Navy

Volume 58, No. 14, July 30, 2015

PUT TO THE TEST

Talisman Sabre 2015 showcases the amphibious might of the US, Australia and New Zealand

Pacific Partnership in PNG – Pages 4-5NAIDOC Week liftout

HMAS Perth leads USS Bonhomme Richard, USS

Ashland, HMAS Arunta and USS Preble during Exercise

Talisman Sabre. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

Page 3, centre

Director David Edlington: (02) 6265 4650

Editor Sharon Palmer: (02) 6266 7612

Deputy Editor Michael Brooke: (02) 6265 3119

Reporters

WO2 Andrew Hetherington: (02) 6266 7614 SGT Dave Morley: (02) 6266 7613 LSIS Jayson Tufrey: (02) 6266 7606 CPL Mark Doran: (02) 6265 1304 CPL Aaron Curran: (02) 6265 1355

CONTACT USEmail: [email protected]: (02) 6265 6690Mail: The Editor, R8-LG-038,

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2 NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015

LSIS Jayson Tufrey

IN A moving memorial service at Parliament House, the nation paused to remember 38 Australians who were among the 298 people killed when flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine last year.

The service, broadcast live, was held on July 17 and marked a year since the disaster. It was attended by families and friends of those lost, as well as members of the AFP and ADF who participated in Operation Bring Them Home.

Defence played a significant role in enabling the Netherlands-led police mission to establish itself in Ukraine and conduct its task within a deterio-rating security environment.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was humbled by the strength and grace of the loved ones of those who died.

“Those of us who have not been so tested stand in awe of those who have and who have kept going through unimaginable suffering,” he said.

“Their passing leaves a void that can never be filled and a pain that still throbs. Nothing that is said or done will bring them back.

“Little will ease the grief that all who knew them still feel. Still, this national acknowledgment of that grief may be of some comfort to all who mourn.”

VCDF VADM Ray Griggs said he was proud of the ADF involvement in Operation Bring Them Home.

AT THE height of the search activity for MH17 victims, 213 ADF personnel deployed to the Netherlands, 71 deployed to Ukraine and four to Ger-many.

Defence support to Op-eration Bring Them Home included:

• two RAAF C-17A Globe-master aircraft with planning and support staff operating in the Netherlands;

• planning and liaison staff working with the Dutch in The Hague;

• liaison, communication and support staff in Ukraine; and

• a strategic aeromedical evacuation team and a surgical capability.

Role of ADF

MH17 victims remembered

“The speed at which the ADF and the AFP were able to react to some-thing so absolutely unexpected was exceptional,” he said.

“To put nearly 300 people into the Netherlands and Ukraine so quickly in a very uncertain and dangerous environment is testament to the ADF’s professionalism.

“To operate where we don’t

normally operate, where there is a significant language barrier, in the middle of a raging civil war was just extraordinary.

“The repatriation effort con-ducted by the C-17A Globemaster crews, along with the personnel on the ground, was an exceptional team effort.

“We had people in Germany, the

Netherlands and Ukraine, and they all really pulled together.”

VADM Griggs said he was moved by the service.

“It was incredibly sad, especially seeing all the photographs of the vic-tims being projected on the screens,” he said.

“I don’t think you could be in that room and not be affected by it.”

LCDR Guy Burton

THE latest enhancement to Navy’s submarine search and rescue capabil-ity steamed into her new home at Fleet Base West, Rockingham, WA, on July 6.

As one of two ships being acquired to further enhance the capability, MV Besant will be the submarine escape gear ship.

Named after the CO AE1, LCDR Thomas Besant, the vessel will provide an early intervention role in the event of a disabled submarine.

The 83m ship will embark a side-scan sonar, and the Scorpio SC45 remotely operated vehicle to conduct surveys, damage assessment, debris removal from around the rescue seat and deploy transponders for the LR5 rescue vehicle tracking system, and rec-ompression chambers to provide medi-cal support to submarine escapees.

Submarine Escape and Rescue Manager CMDR Ken Marr said the delivery of the ships would enhance Navy’s existing capability.

“Planning is well under way for Black Carillion, our annual submarine

escape and rescue exercise, where Besant will play an important part as we utilise and incorporate her many functionalities into our existing proce-dures,” CMDR Marr said.

“The longer 93m rescue gear ship, MV Stoker, is undergoing final fit out and is scheduled to join Besant in early January next year.

“Both vessels will provide more flexibility to respond,” CMDR Marr said.

The ships will be operated by Defence Maritime Services and will provide a long-term role in support-ing submarine escape and rescue activities.

Being larger ships than the exist-ing vessel, MV Seahorse Standard, the ability to embark more personnel such as medical and other rescue system members will ensure sustained opera-tions can be conducted at sea.

Enhanced on board medical facili-ties and the ability to accommodate a full submarine crew will also ensure the best medical support is provided.

Besant and Stoker will replace Seahorse Standard.

Fleet welcomes MV Besant

Members of the AFP and ADF form a line of honour while a wreath is carried through the hall to the dais during the memorial service for flight MH17 at Parliament House, Canberra. Photo: LSIS Jayson Tufrey

The submarine intervention gear ship MV Besant approaches Fleet Base West in Western Australia.

Photo: CPOIS David Connolly

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LCDR Alistair Tomlinson

THE MRH-90 on board HMAS Choules demonstrated its reliabil-ity and flexibility during Talisman Sabre 2015 (TS15).

CO Choules CMDR Chris Aulmann said the primary role of the 808SQN MRH-90 was to operate as a utility helicopter providing logistical support, in both a ship-to-ship, and ship-to-shore environment.

“Initially assigned a range of peo-ple, mail and cargo tasks by the air operations cell on USS Bonhomme Richard, the role of the MRH-90 grew to supporting frontline operations, including the re-supply of rations and water to soldiers ashore,” CMDR Aulmann said.

“This was a great vote of con-fidence in the aircraft and team on board Choules.”

During TS15, the MRH-90 also completed a record number of cross-deck landings on US ships including to Bonhomme Richard, Green Bay, Ashland and Preble.

Flight Commander LCDR Steve Brown said with the interoperability focus of TS15, it was vital the ADF had the capacity to transport person-nel to various ships throughout the exercise.

“As an extremely complex exercise with many moving parts, it was essen-tial to the success of the combined expeditionary force assault that US and Australian planners were able co-ordinate and de-conflict both aviation and amphibious craft movements,” LCDR Brown said.

“The best way to do this was often

CPL Mark Doran

THE strength of the Australian and US alliance in the Pacific region was demon-strated during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 (TS15).

The sixth biennial, bilateral exercise involved about 30,000 Australian and US troops, along with participants from the New Zealand Defence Force and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in a multi-faceted and challenging air, sea and land warfighting environment from July 4-19.

The combined joint task force for TS15 included close to 1000 Air Force personnel, 9500 soldiers, 12,000 sailors, 1300 special forces troops and 4600 marines from the four nations.

TS15 incorporated force preparation and special forces activities, large-scale amphib-ious landings, parachuting, land force manoeuvre, urban operations, air-mobile and maritime operations and coordinated live-firing from small arms, artillery, naval vessels and aircraft.

CJOPs VADM David Johnston said Australia had partnered many times with the US military.

“I was pleased to see TS15 continued to build on the partnership to ensure both countries are ready to go where we may need to when required,” he said.

“It has been an extraordinary exercise and I congratulate all of those who have been involved in planning and participating.

“It has been one of the safest we have performed and one of the most complex we have conducted.”

Virtual and live realistic training was conducted on land from the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland to Fog Bay and the Bradshaw Field Training Area in the Northern Territory.

Airpower included F/A-18F Super Hornets from the US Navy, supported by the RAAF’s E-7A Wedgetail and KC-30A multi-role tanker transport.

CO 1 Div MAJ-GEN Stuart Smith was the deputy commander of the task force and said a key characteristic of TS15 was the integration of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for Women, Peace and Security.

“Planning and execution during the exer-cise focused on measures to limit the impact of conflict on women and children and ensuring the involvement of women in post conflict reconstruction,” he said.

MAJ-GEN Smith said TS15 added life to the Australian/US alliance.

“TS15 was the third Talisman Sabre I have participated in and it was easily the most demanding, but most successful because of the staff interaction and the high levels of interoperability that were demon-strated,” he said.

The maritime areas of the Coral Sea, Timor Sea, Arafura Sea and the Indian Ocean featured 21 ships and three subma-rines, while more than 200 aircraft took part in the exercise designed to advance Australian and US troops’ skills, prepared-ness, interoperability and their ability in high-end combat.

As part of the expeditionary strike group, Australian and New Zealand ships including HMAS Choules and RNZNS Endeavour worked alongside US Navy Seventh Fleet’s USS George Washington carrier strike group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

CO NORCOM CDRE Brenton Smyth said this was the first year a large portion of Talisman Sabre had been played out in the Northern Territory and the Australian and US militaries made good use of the opportu-nities the Top End provides.

“The Northern Territory offers some of the largest and, unique military train-ing areas in the world, and the community support and hospitality displayed during this exercise has been outstanding,” CDRE Smyth said.

“The training areas were put to excellent use during a series of complex and dynamic activities on the land, at sea and in the air.”

Full coverage pages 12-13

An MRH-90 helicopter departs HMAS Choules on a mission during Talisman Sabre 2015. Photos: ABIS Tom Gibson

MRH-90’s vote of confidence

HMAS Arunta, USS Bonhomme Richard, USS Ashland, and HMAS Choules sail in formation during Talisman Sabre 2015. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

Interoperability enhanced

by face-to-face meetings which is why we were called upon to fly to so many different USN ships.”

A capable and versatile successor of the Black Hawk, the MRH-90 has an endurance of greater than three hours and a cruising speed in excess of 140 knots.

It is capable of carrying 10 fully equipped soldiers or 19 passengers in air-conditioned comfort, thereby reducing flying fatigue.

“The greatest advantage of the MRH-90 is its advanced safety fea-tures,” LCDR Brown said.

“For example it’s fitted with flo-

tation devices which automatically inflate if forced to land on water, giv-ing a greater chance for the occupants to escape the aircraft safely.”

LCDR Brown said that participat-ing in TS15 had been an invaluable experience for the members of Flight 1 as it gave them the chance to put practice into reality.

“As a result of our successful operations over the past few weeks, I am looking forward to the MRH-90 making an even bigger contribution to the next Talisman Sabre in 2017,” he said.

An MRH-90 helicopter winches

personnel off the flight deck of HMAS

Choules during Exercise Talisman

Sabre 2015.

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Annual humanitarian missionPacific Partnership is an annual United States sponsored humani-tarian and civic assistance mission aimed at strengthening internation-al relationships between partici-pating nations in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Through Pacific Partnership, Australia has provided almost 60 personnel across all three services.

This year, independent teams based in two United States Naval Ships, 300-bed hospital ship Mer-cy and fast catamaran Millinocket, will visit remote communities in Kiribati, Fiji, the Solomon Islands,

Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, the Philip-pines and Vietnam from June to September.

More than 650 medical per-sonnel, including 21 Australians, are embarked in Mercy, ensuring the ship is well equipped for the humanitarian role it is tasked with on Pacific Partnership.

Now in its tenth year, Pacific Partnership missions have pro-vided real world medical care to approximately 270,000 patients and delivered critical infrastructure development with 180 engineering projects in host nations.

Our medics saving lives on Pacific PartnershipHospital Ship USNS Mercy off the coast

of Bougainville during patient transfers from

the mainland. Photo: ABIS Chantell Brown

SMNMED Renee Simmons in the casualty ward on board USNS Mercy during Pacific Partnership 15. Photo: ABIS Sarah Williams

LCDR Alison Zilko and US Army CAPT Jenna DiMaggio run through their paces for the ‘helping babies breathe’ course which helped a Pohnpei midwife save a baby’s life just hours later.

CAPT Andy Robertson scrubs down Baros of Siroui’s memorial before applying fresh paint as part of its restoration. Photo: ABIS Chantell Brown

Rookie nurse loves life’s challengesTHE opportunity to enhance her nurs-ing skills was the lure that attracted SMNMED Renee Simmons to volunteer for Pacific Partnership 15.

SMN Simmons flew to Hawaii in May to join USNS Mercy on a four country mission to deliver medical and engineer-ing assistance to communities in desperate need of help.

SMN Simmons first heard about PP when training at HMAS Penguin and the humanitarian aspects really appealed to her.

“Being a junior medic I thought it would be a great opportunity to use my new skills,” SMN Simmons said.

Competition for places on the mission was fierce, with many more volunteers than positions available.

SMN Simmons underwent a competi-tive selection process, submitting an essay about herself and why she wanted to par-ticipate in PP.

Her enthusiasm and commitment stood her apart from many other contenders and she was chosen as one of only two Australian medics from more than 200 applications.

“I’ve always had a strong connection with assisting others,” SMN Simmons said.

“When I was little I watched a lot of emergency shows on television and remember seeing USNS Comfort in Africa. Ever since then I have wanted to help others less fortunate than myself.”

As a newly qualified medic SMN Simmons is living her dream working in Mercy’s adult ward, paediatrics and inten-sive care unit.

Ashore, SMN Simmons has had the opportunity to provide basic life support training in two Fijian hospitals and nutri-tion education to people in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

“PP has changed me as a person because now I can see how partner nations can work together and learn from each other,” she said.

“It’s been great for my personal devel-opment and a really rewarding experience.”

After SMN Simmons completes the mission and returns to Australia she will join one of the Navy’s newest ships, HMAS Canberra, which is the ADF’s major capability for humanitarian assis-tance and disaster relief operations.

ABMED Mele Buadromo, a Fijian-born medic, has enjoyed giving back to com-munities in the Pacific during USNS Mercy’s four-nation mission.

AB Buadromo, of HMAS Cerberus, beat more than 200 Navy nurses for the opportu-nity to deploy on PP15, which she said was the highlight of her career.

Her role on PP15 has enabled AB Buadromo to put her skills to good use while also consolidating her training.

The opportunity to work alongside US Navy medical personnel was also invaluable.

“I have only been in the Navy for a year and I am stoked I was chosen for this amaz-ing trip,” she said.

“I’m working in the adult ward, carrying out a range of pre and post-surgery care and administration roles.”

AB Buadromo’s highlight so far was Mercy’s port visit to Fiji, where she helped

more than 250 patients receive treatment in the adult ward.

“Travelling to Fiji really hit home for me as that’s where I grew up before moving to Australia.

“I’ve enjoyed everything about this mis-sion, especially being part of patient care and the humanitarian aid work which is something I really love.”

AB Buadromo said she enjoyed the chal-lenge of serving in Mercy and was delighted she jumped ship from the Army to join the Navy eight years ago.

“I come from a family rich in military tradition, so I was happy to follow in my father’s footsteps to join the Army,” she said.

“But I transferred to the Navy last year to pursue new horizons and travel opportuni-ties.

“Navy has offered me a better work life balance and I am able to spend more time with my daughter, Tamara-Rose.”

ABMED Mele Buadromo

records blood pressure

stats on a Bougainville patient while

in the adult ward on board

hospital ship Mercy.

Photo: ABIS Chantell Brown

Angel of ‘Mercy’ spreads her wings to help others

USNS Mercy arrived in the Philippines on July 18 after providing vital humanitarian assistance in Papua New Guinea, LCDR Darren Mallett reports.

DESPITE challenging weather and bur-geoning crowds, hundreds of people from Bougainville received medical care from doctors and specialists attached to

Pacific Partnership 2015 (PP15).More than 500 patients a day received medi-

cal care from doctors and specialists based in United States hospital ship USNS Mercy when the ship anchored off the Bougainville coastline ear-lier this month.

As part of PP15 multinational teams from Mercy have been visiting the mainland to screen, diagnose and treat patients, some of whom have waited their entire lives to see qualified medical practitioners.

A community health engagement at the Arawa medical clinic on Bouganville was attended by family physicians, paediatricians, dermatologists, dentists, optometrists and physical therapists who braved tropical rain to tend to the needs of the local population.

CMDR Darren Delaney, of HMAS Kuttabul, said it was a huge cooperative effort by ADF and US medical staff from Mercy.

“Most of the medical conditions we saw had not been treated fully or to an acceptable stand-ard,” CMDR Delaney said.

“There were a lot of dermatological problems and unfortunately, in that part of the world, malaria and dengue fever are rife.”

CMDR Delaney said doctors had seen children and adults with muscular skeletal problems, cleft palates and tightening of areas of their bodies which prevented the most basic of functions, like swallowing and eating.

Many of those cases were screened at the

clinic and prepared for transfer to Mercy where patients received life-changing surgery.

“For the doctors and specialists from Mercy, the community health engagement was an oppor-tunity to give something to a community which makes do with little, but is grateful for the chance to receive the best,” CMDR Delaney said.

“We did what we could under the circumstanc-es and felt tremendous joy when we could deliver life-saving treatment to people to give them a sec-ond lease on life.”

A course provided by Australian Navy and US Army nurses was credited with helping a midwife from Pohnpei save a baby’s life just hours after she completed the training.

Bernolina Hedson said the ‘helping babies breathe’ course conducted by LCDR Alison Zilko and US Army CAPT Jenna DiMaggio on June 29-30 enabled her to perform an emergency soon after.

While delivering a baby, Ms Hedson found an undiagnosed twin pregnancy, with the second baby struggling with a low heart beat and no spontaneous breathing.

Fortunately, she remembered the training and was able to successfully resuscitate the child just as the ‘helping babies breathe’ algorithm dictated.

“The first thing that popped into my mind after delivering the baby was to use the knowledge and skills learned earlier in the day for routine care of the newborn,” Ms Hedson said.

LCDR Zilko said she was excited the baby had survived a traumatic birth and that the lessons had made a difference.

“I love the fact I am able to provide subject mat-ter knowledge and practical experience to nurses and doctors in these countries who will be able to

provide a better level of care to their community, long after PP has gone,” she said.

“I enjoy passing on my many years of nursing skills and sometimes it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference.”

“I volunteered for this role as I get great satis-faction in providing support to people in countries where their level of health care is very basic.

“This was the first time the ‘helping babies breathe’ course was taught on PP.”

Earlier on the deployment, LCDR Zilko was also involved in the rescue of a drowning man in Solomon Islands on June 10.

LTCOL Rodney Petersen and LCDR Zilko helped pull the man from the water and adminis-tered first aid.

She said the man seemed close to death but they were able to retrieve and stabilise him, before sending him to hospital.

“This man was very lucky to be seen floating in the water by PP personnel, otherwise he would have drowned,” she said.

The ADF and US personnel embarked in Mercy also exercised their cooperative response to a notional disaster as part of their training for the real thing.

CMDR Ken Walters said it was vital to prepare for unexpected disasters as well as conduct medi-cal workshops for underprivileged people.

“On board Mercy, the opportunity to bring such a large number of international medical and logis-tic specialists together was the perfect chance to invent a scenario and ensure we would be ready for any type of situation,” CMDR Delaney said.

CMDR Delaney and US Navy’s CMDR Lisa Kelty ran a mass casualty exercise which tested all

facets involved in responding to a situation that might be typical of one Mercy could be tasked to respond to.

“The scenario involved a notional explosion on a vessel 45km from Mercy, resulting in 16 role-playing patients being transferred to the ship,” CMDR Delaney said.

“After the initial request, and the establishment of command and control arrangements, ‘patients’ were brought to Mercy by the ship’s helicopters,” he said.

“On arrival, the patients were managed from triage through stabilisation, initial diagnosis and treatment, to final disposition.”

Before departing for the Philippines, ADF and US military personnel restored a memorial to a Bougainville chief who supported Allied efforts in WWII.

Baros of Siroui was beheaded by Japanese Forces and a memorial to him was erected some years after the war by the Lions Club of Australia.

The 60-year-old memorial was cleaned and repainted by PP15 personnel while medical and engineering projects were conducted in the Arawa community.

CAPT Brian Delamont was happy to roll up his sleeves and lead the effort to clean up the memo-rial.

“It was a great experience to work on this mis-sion as an embed; the entire Australian team in Mercy is fully immersed in the organisation,” he said.

“I played a key role in the planning stage and we deliberately chose the places where we can make the biggest difference in the lives of the local people.”


Flying high at 5000 IN BRIEFLegacy WeekLEGACY Week will run from August 30 to September 5. The week is the organisation’s major fundraising event, bringing attention to Legacy’s important work caring for the families of servicemen and women who have died or been incapacitated as a result of their service. Across Australia, Legacy clubs will approach Defence bases seeking support from ADF members. CDF ACM Mark Binskin said he encouraged ADF members to volunteer their time in uniform to sell Legacy badges during the week, particularly on Badge Day on September 4. For more information, visit www.legacy.com.au/DonateNow or call 1800 534 229.

Anzac traditionAUSTRALIA’S Defence leaders hosted their New Zealand counterparts in Canberra in mid-July for the Australia-New Zealand Chief Executives’ Meeting. Defence Secretary Dennis Richardson and CDF ACM Mark Binskin meet annually with New Zealand Secretary of Defence Helene Quilter and Chief of the NZDF LT-GEN Tim Keating. ACM Binskin said the bilateral relationship with New Zealand was one of Australia’s most enduring and important Defence partnerships. “The Anzac Centenary highlights the strength of our relationship, stretching from WWI to our recent operations in Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and now in the Building Partner Capacity mission in Iraq,” he said.

Oxfam fundraiserSTUDENTS on the Defence and Strategic Studies Course, at Weston Creek in the ACT, are raising funds to support OXFAM Australia’s relief and ongoing poverty reduction efforts in Vanuatu. One of the poorest countries in the South Pacific, Vanuatu was devastated by Cyclone Pam in March this year. Some say charity begins at home, and bearing in mind Australia’s home is the Pacific region, staff and students are calling for ADF support for a charity fundraising event on September 19. Donations can also be made by texting ‘Vanuatu’ to mobile phone number 0477 333 444.

LEUT Mark Flowerdew

LEUT Ian Parrott, of 725SQN, achieved a significant milestone in his flying career on June 18 when he sur-passed 5000 hours of flying.

LEUT Parrott ticked over the hours while acting as the Aviation Warfare Officer in a Seahawk Romeo helicopter.

On hand to welcome and congratu-late him were his wife, son and the offic-ers and sailors of 725SQN.

His CO 725SQN CMDR Dave Frost congratulated him on his achievement and said it was a significant event in a distinguished aviation career.

“Very few aviators have the oppor-tunity to achieve such a milestone,” CMDR Frost said.

“Achieving this while flying Navy’s newest aircraft makes it that much more inspirational for all of us in the Fleet Air Arm.”

LEUT Parrott’s flying career began in 1980 and he has flown Wessex, Seaking, Iroquois, Seasprite and Seahawk heli-copters as well as the HS 748.

He uses that experience as an Aviation Warfare Officer Instructor at 725SQN to teach aircrew how to employ the myriad of sensors and weapons in the MH-60R.

“I’ve enjoyed every hour airborne and it’s such a pleasure to pass on my experience to naval aviators of the future,” LEUT Parrott said.

LEUT Parrott returned recently from the US where he completed a Romeo conversion course with the US Navy at HSM40. He was also part of the com-missioning crew of 725SQN and plans to fly many more hours in the Romeo.

LEUT Ian Parrott is all smiles after his 5000-hour achievement at HMAS Albatross (above) and (below) LEUT Parrott and his family are greeted by 725SQN members after the milestone.

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Anzac’s final foreign port

HMAS Anzac arrives in Port Louis, Mauritius, the final international port of Northern Trident 2015 and (inset) RADM Allan du Toit lays a wreath for Australian war dead in Cape Town. Photos: LSIS Paul McCallum

LEUT Des Paroz

HMAS Anzac arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius, on July 17, the last foreign port of her Northern Trident deployment.

This visit provided the oppor-tunity for the maritime forces of both Indian Ocean nations to work more closely together, and Anzac will host a ‘women in uniform’ mentoring session, providing an opportunity to share experiences between uniformed women from both nations.

The Australian High Commission in Mauritius has been at the centre of establishing the local ‘women in uniform’ network in order to raise the profile of the role of women in defence and policing.

Together with the High Commission, Anzac hosted an official reception, attended a com-memorative service for Australian-Mauritian servicemen from WWI and also for the sole Australian serviceman buried in Mauritius – Navy Bandsman Arnold Partington, from HMAS Canberra I, who died during WWII.

CO Anzac CAPT Mal Wise described the significance of the visit to his crew.

“In Mauritius we complete the commemorative aspect of our mis-sion by participating in a service for approximately 40 Australian-Mauritians who fought in WWI, and pay our respects to one of Navy’s own from WWII,” CAPT Wise said.

Australia’s High Commissioner in Mauritius Susan Coles said many Australians and Mauritians were unaware of the historic rela-tionship between the nations, par-ticularly in times of war.

Before arriving in Port Louis, Anzac visited Cape Town to cel-ebrate the growing relationship between the two countries with a series of engagements with the South African Navy.

South Africa was a major stopo-ver point for Australian Navy ships transiting to and from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

in both world wars, and some 80 ADF personnel are buried in South African cemeteries.

A contingent from Anzac, along with Australian High Commissioner Adam McCarthy, RADM Allan du Toit, Australian High Commission staff and current and former mem-bers of the South African Navy attended a commemorative service at the Dido Valley Naval Cemetery, where three Australian sailors are buried.

SMNCSO John Butterworth said the sailors died of injuries from acci-dents either at sea or ashore during WWII.

“The Australian High Commissioner gave an address at the service where he talked about the fact that although they did not

die in action, they died in the service of their country,” SMN Butterworth said.

“Having gone off to war, they never came home.

“We have had a long deployment, and we are all looking forward to getting home to our families safely.

“The fact that these people, doing the same jobs that many of us do, didn’t get home is a fitting reminder.”

Members of the ship’s company of Anzac also participated in an AFL clinic and were involved in reciprocal tours of Anzac and the Simon’s Town Navy Base, information sessions and receptions. Tours of Anzac were also held for prominent diplomats, com-munity and business leaders.

ABET Andrew Sharp simulates firing a volley of blank cartridges, as part of a ceremonial sunset held on board HMAS Anzac in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Florida to host games Landlubber sea day

HMAS Darwin hosted a sea day for a group of person-nel from the FFG Enterprise which has given them a greater insight into their important work for Navy.

CO Darwin CMDR Phil Henry said the inaugural FFG Enterprise sea day was held for a total of 45 Defence and industry civilians on July 2.

“The visit allowed the group to see in action the crew and ship’s systems that they support,” he said.

Defence and industry civil-ians who had never been to sea were given top priority.

The FFG Enterprise consists of those organisations who work together to provide Navy with seaworthy guided missile frigates.

Director FFG Systems Program Office Director CAPT Greg Laxton said the visit gave the group a better understanding of the projects and systems they worked on.

“The day was a stand-out suc-cess and we now have an even more engaged FFG Enterprise workforce, who have been given valuable context about what it is Navy does with the ships they support,” CAPT Laxton said.

“During the day the group observed damage control train-ing, participated in a number of tours, and witnessed high speed manoeuvres.

“The day was enjoyed by all with many of the group asking

questions of the ship’s crew and observing the operation of the systems and equipment they help support.”

Defence personnel involved said it was an experience they would never forget because of what they learnt.

Electrical Engineer, FFG Integrated Material Support, Richard Adams, said he valued the opportunity to see many sys-tems of the ship in operation and how they are used.

“This built a stronger under-standing of the context of our work,” Mr Adams said.

“I was also able to get to know other members of the FFG Enterprise.”

Planned Maintenance Writer FFG Integrated Material Support, Tony Zahra, said the ship’s company provided an insight into their particular area of operation as well as practical answers to the groups’ questions.

“The helicopter pilot gave us a realistic picture of landing and taking off from the FFG in vari-ous weather and light conditions which highlighted the necessity for all the ship’s equipment to always be available and totally functional,” he said.

“I gained a deeper under-standing that the maximum performance specification of the ship is not just on paper, it is uti-lised and must be available when needed.”

Guests from the FFG Enterprise are shown flooding techniques and equipment used by the crew on HMAS Darwin during damage control evolutions. Photo: ABIS Sarah Ebsworth

WOUNDED, injured and ill personnel will have another opportunity to repre-sent Australia in various sports when the Invictus Games are held in Orlando, Florida, from May 8-12 next year.

HRH Prince Harry announced the host city on July 14.

The Invictus Games is an international adaptive multi-sport competition, which attracted more than 400 athletes from 14 countries to London last year.

Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert welcomed Prince Harry’s announcement.

“Invictus means ‘unconquered’. It rep-resents the fighting spirit of our wounded, injured and ill personnel,” he said.

“Many of the Australian athletes returned from the 2014 Invictus Games with renewed confidence to face the challenges of their recovery programs.”

Last year Australia sent a team of 15 serving and 21 former serving wounded, injured and ill personnel to the inaugural games. The Australians won 21 medals in London – six gold, nine silver and six bronze.

Australia’s participation in the Invictus Games aims to build on our involvement in other adaptive sports competitions, includ-ing the US Marine Corps Trials and the Canadian Forces Allied Winter Sports Camp.

During the next three months various bases will host a series of sports trials to determine who will represent Australia.

Details on dates and locations will be published in a future edition of Navy News and made available on the ADF Sports Council website.

Further information is available by emailing WO1 Scott Mengel at [email protected]

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GUIDED missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane was splashed on a cover of Navy News in July 1975 as the ship began a four-month tour of the Far East, her first deployment to the area since she served with the US Seventh Fleet off Vietnam in 1971.

ONE of Navy’s ‘new’ Sea King helicopters flew the first operational mission for that aircraft type, making a rescue flight to a farmhouse cut-off by floodwater on the NSW South Coast.

All roads and communica-tions were cut to the home, so police requested Navy’s assis-tance to reach the occupants

who hadn’t been heard from for a week.

The helicopter crew found both occupants in good health but completely isolated, they were flown to Bateman’s Bay.

PHOTOS of HMAS Otway sail-ors swimming from the surfaced submarine after Rimpac ‘75 were published along with the correspondent speculating sub-mariners might be a new shark repellant.

SBLT Mole and AB Smith from Otway found that “danger lurked behind every palm tree” after they became engaged to Hawaiian girls during the exercise.

CPL Max Bree takes a look at what was making headlines in bygone days.

A MINE-hunting operation in PNG and search for lost ships after Cyclone Tracy in Darwin Harbour, wrapped up.

Minesweeper HMAS Ibis along with minehunters HMAS Snipe and Curlew operated in PNG for four months searching more than 9000 miles.

The ships destroyed 15 WWII mines in the first phase of the deployment to enable the laying of submarine communication cables between Port Moresby and Cairns.

Leeuwin to survey uncharted seabed

New life for old landing craft

CN VADM Tim Barrett at the handover ceremony of two Balikpapan-class landing craft in Cairns.

TWO decommissioned Australian Balikpapan-class landing craft were gifted to the Philippines dur-ing a ceremony at HMAS Cairns on July 23.

The ceremony was conducted by CN VADM Tim Barrett and his Philippine counterpart VADM Jesus Millan.

The decommissioned ves-sels, ex-HMA Ships Tarakan and Brunei, were recommissioned at the ceremony, into the Republic of Philippines Navy as BRP Ivatan and BRP Batak.

VADM Barrett said the landing

craft would help the Philippines Navy respond to natural disasters such as Super Typhoon Haiyan, which caused significant devasta-tion to Tacloban city in November 2013.

“These craft will assist the Philippines defence modernisa-tion program and improve the Philippine Navy’s ability to respond to future natural disas-ters,” VADM Barrett said.

About 500 ADF personnel, including the crew of HMAS Tobruk and a deployment of Army engineers, provided in-country support to the relief effort after

Haiyan at the request of the Philippines government.

“The relief effort highlighted the importance of regional sea lift options due to numerous air-fields being inaccessible and land infrastructure impassable,” VADM Barrett said.

CN said with more than 40 years service, the versatility of the Balikpapan-class resulted in superb logistics support to ADF operations in Bougainville, East Timor and the Solomon Islands and numerous humanitarian aid missions both domestically and throughout the region.

The Filipino Catholic community of Cairns expresses their appreciation for the gifting of former HMA Ships Tarakan and Brunei.

THE first Navy ship to visit Fiji since 2006 completed a six-day port visit to Suva on July 16.

HMAS Leeuwin, is working along-side the Republic of Fiji military forces, mapping the seabed in Fiji’s territorial waters.

CO Leeuwin LCDR Richard Mortimer said his ship’s company of 65 was sharing their skills and learning some new ones.

“While in Suva, we conducted joint training with the Republic of Fiji Navy, concentrating on hydrography and navi-gation skills as well as damage control,” he said.

“We provided them with tours of Leeuwin and in turn visited their survey facilities.

“We will spend close to a month surveying waters around Fiji, including Rotuma Island with the Fijian Navy.”

The information gathered by the Australian crew will be delivered to the Republic of Fiji Hydrographic Service as well as the Australian Hydrographic

Service in Wollongong for analysis. “The ocean around the Rotuma

Islands has not been surveyed, so the data we collect will be used by hydrog-raphers to update charts.

“This is important as it will provide mariners with confidence to operate in these waters and boost trade and tourism in the region,” LCDR Mortimer said.

“We feel fortunate to be visiting Fiji because my crew enjoy strengthening ties with an important South Pacific Navy and seeing the beautiful Fijian Islands.

“The work we will do together will produce vital nautical charting infor-mation, but more importantly, it will strengthen this relationship.”

Leeuwin is on a three-month south-west Pacific deployment.

Before berthing in Suva, the hydro-graphic survey ship visited Tonga to support the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at the coronation of the king of Tonga.

Leeuwin has also taken part in a tri-lateral high seas fisheries patrol.

Members of HMAS Leeuwin’s ship’s company and the Fiji Navy look at the 1876 fathom chart of Rotuma Island during a survey planning meeting on board Leeuwin. Photo: LEUT Chayne Colley

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A STONE’S throw west of Brisbane Airport lies one of Brisbane’s older suburbs, Ascot, an unassuming leafy

neighbourhood with large houses and mansions perched on generously sized blocks.

If you were to walk past number 21 Henry Street, also known as Nyrambla, you wouldn’t take a second look at the well-established two-storey mansion.

However, from September 1942 to November 1945, this inconspicu-ous house hosted a unit called Central Bureau, which was GEN Douglas MacArthur’s eyes, ears and intelligence for the Pacific region during WWII.

Nyrambla was the equivalent of Britain’s famed Bletchley Park, the home of the code-breakers who cracked Nazi ciphers.

On July 9, veterans of the Central Bureau unveiled a commemora-tive plaque next to the front gates of Nyrambla to commemorate the outstand-ing achievements of men and women of the top secret signals intelligence organi-sation.

Serving soldiers, sailors, airmen and women and public servants from units and organisations that carry the legacy of Central Bureau, as well as members of the Australian-American Association, attended the plaque unveiling.

Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security Group Stephen Meekin said the plaque provided “fitting and long overdue public recognition”.

“All those who pass this place can understand that while success in battle with Imperial Japan was achieved not only on the land, at sea and in the air, but that the work of Central Bureau enabled many of the key decisions,” Mr Meekin said.

“This ensured Allied forces were in the best position, able to exploit enemy weakness, at the right time and in over-whelming force to achieve victory.”

The Ascot area was to become both home and work until the end of the war years for more than 4300 military person-nel. The vast majority were Australians and Americans, with a handful of Dutch, New Zealanders and Canadians.

The Central Bureau was under the command of MAJGEN Spencer Akin, GEN MacArthur’s chief signals officer. Supporting MAJGEN Akin was Australian Army officer LTCOL Mic

A plaque has been unveiled to commemorate the efforts of signals experts whose intelligence contributed significantly to victory in the Pacific during WWII, WO2 Wayne Ryan reports.

Ascot’s ‘Bletchley Park’

Central Bureau Intelligence Corps Association members Diana Parker, left, and Helen Kenny attend the commemorative plaque unveiling.

Sandford, RAAF officer WGCMDR Roy Booth and US Army officer COL Abraham Sinkov.

The Bureau’s main functions were intercepting Japanese communications, crypto analysis and advising GEN MacArthur to aid him with his strategic decisions.

One of the major achievements was the cracking of the Water Transport Code, a super-enciphered Japanese Army code, also known as ‘2468’ after the numeric group that appeared at the start of each communication.

It would be a mistake to think that the majority of victories in the Pacific region were down to great planning and plain good luck. These accomplishments were more than likely due to the tireless work of the Central Bureau staff in Australia.

Some of these key achievements include the shooting down of ADM Isoroku Yamamoto’s aircraft in 1943 after his itinerary was intercepted, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and a copy of GEN Hitoshi Imamura’s assessment of the disposition and condition of his XVIII Army, which enabled Allied forces to pick and choose where to engage enemy forces and or just bypass them altogether.

CAPT Dennis Magennis, the man-ager for the Museum of Australian Military Intelligence at Kokoda Barracks, Canungra, said it was an honour to meet the veterans at the plaque unveiling.

“I felt the veterans were extremely proud, in a modest way, of their vital achievements during WWII, and the fact that now the general public can finally learn about their secret world and their role in the victory in the South Pacific,” CAPT Magennis said.

It is said that GEN MacArthur once stated that the effort by the men and women of the Central Bureau helped shorten the war by two years.

Attending the commemorative plaque unveiling in Ascot, Brisbane, were, from left, LS Brendan Clarke, CTR1 Amy Glassford (US Navy), LS Josh Burnton (RNZN) and LS Zoey MacQueen. Inset: Nyrambla as it was during WWII. Main photo: CPL Glen McCarthy

www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015 1312 CENTRE

LCDR Andrew Thorpe

AS AUSTRALIAN soldiers and US marines landed on the beach at Fog Bay in the Northern Territory during Talisman Sabre 15 (TS15), HMAS Arunta and HMAS Perth were on watch, just over the horizon.

As part of the Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), they were work-ing alongside destroyers and cruis-ers with aircraft carrier USS George Washington.

Acting CO Arunta LCDR Kingsley Scarce said the strike group’s primary role was to make sure the troops got ashore safely.

“Arunta’s roles included defend-ing the ESG from the air, surface and sub-surface attacks,” LCDR Scarce said.

“The ship has conducted engage-ments against ‘enemy’ units.”

LCDR Scarce said the inclusion of a large number of cutting-edge war-ships and aircraft allowed for many

more training opportunities than an exercise only involving the ADF could offer.

“It also enabled the ADF to learn about capabilities that are either new into service or being brought into ser-vice in the coming years,” he said.

“The opportunity to observe Aegis-equipped destroyers and cruisers pro-vided a unique insight into the capabil-ity being introduced in the Hobart-class destroyer.”

Along with the many benefits of working alongside the US Navy there were also challenges.

Controlling such a large force required sophisticated command, con-trol and communications networks.

When the navies are operating inde-pendently these networks are generally well established and understood, but in a combined exercise environment such as TS15, it takes significant effort to ensure these networks are established, maintained and understood by all the participants.

There are also differences in tac-tics, techniques and procedures. LCDR Scarce said the most obvious lesson leant in the exercise revolved around communication.

“Being able to communicate in an easy to understand and timely manner was crucial to the successful conduct of the exercise, he said.

“While we are similar to the US Navy, some terminology used is slight-ly different and we needed to identify these differences early so we under-stood what each other meant.”

Overall TS15 gave Arunta’s ship’s company the chance to re-adjust to a higher tempo after seven months in re-fit.

“TS15 was a fantastic way to spend our first month at sea since 2014,” LCDR Scarce said.

“Operating in close proximity with some of the most powerful warships in the world was something that most in the Navy don’t experience outside of exercises such as these.”

Australian infantry and United States marines, along with naval assets from the US, New Zealand and Australia, joined forces to conduct

one of the most ambitious amphibious landings ever attempted on home soil during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 (TS15).

The large-scale landing at Fog Bay, nearly 70km south-west of Darwin, included troops from Townsville’s 2RAR and marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31MEU) who were joined by a platoon of Japan Ground Self-Defense soldiers.

At sunrise on July 11, soldiers disembarked from the group of ships of the expeditionary strike force – HMAS Choules and US Ships Green Bay, Ashland and Bonhomme Richard.

The troops and their vehicles hit the shore in US landing craft and assault amphibious vehicles, Australian Army landing craft and Navy mexe floats.

Air support for the amphibious assault included AV-8B Harriers from Bonhomme Richard and V-22 Ospreys from the Green Bay.

Commanding General III Marine Expeditionary Force LTGEN John Wissler said the amphibious assault at Fog Bay involved close to 2200 marines and sailors of the 31MEU.

“They came from three amphibious ships, as part of the larger task force and integrated with Navy,” LTGEN Wissler said.

“It was the most complex military manoeu-vre in amphibious operations.

“Almost 5000 of the 30,000 marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Force participated in this exercise as the amphibious landing moved inland and combined with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Brigade for training in the Bradshaw Field Training Area.

LTGEN Wissler said a great partnership continued to be built with Australia during TS15.

“The friendships and relationships we build here will be helpful no matter where we meet each other around the world,” he said.

“This integrated training has proven itself in the past, as for example, with the typhoon relief in the Philippines, and it will again be proven to be very valuable that we can inter-operate and coordinate with our partners from Australia.”

TS15 was the largest combined military exercise undertaken by the ADF and provided invaluable experience to improve combat train-ing, readiness and interoperability by exposing participants to a wide spectrum of military capabilities and training experiences.

TS15 incorporated force preparation activ-

ities, special forces activities, amphibious landings, parachuting, land force manoeuvres, urban operations, air operations, maritime operations and the coordinated firing of live ammunition and explosive ordnance from small arms, artillery, naval vessels and aircraft.

CJOPS VADM David Johnston was the joint lead for TS15 and said close to 30,000 men and women were at sea or ashore in Queensland at Shoalwater Bay Training Area and the Northern Territory for the exercise.

“Australian military forces joined with the United States to practice the skill-sets critical to conducting operations,” VADM Johnston said.

“These could include short-notice human-itarian assistance or disaster relief operations similar to the recent operation in Vanuatu after Tropical Cyclone Pam, through to more com-plex operations.

“TS15 provided us with a complex training environment and included a field exercise com-plemented by a command post activity where senior staff worked through the detailed plan-ning for difficult scenarios.

“This gave us an opportunity to look at how we will work with a range of international partners and our own departments in order to achieve our government’s objectives.”

HMAS Choules carried more than 430 per-

sonnel from Navy, Army and the US Marines during TS15.

Nearly 230 were embarked forces.CO Choules CMDR Chris Aulmann said

it was his first complex amphibious exercise as a commanding officer.

“We were looking for ways to streamline some of the standard processes and ensure we could safely, efficiently and effectively deliver the troops ashore with their gear and achieve the operational outcomes to support the exercise,” CMDR Aulmann said.

“We have a close relationship with the US Navy as we work frequently together on bilateral and multinational exercises and activities.

“Each time we work together our under-standing of each other, how we operate and what our strengths and weaknesses are improves.

“We also work frequently with 2RAR and I have a close working relationship with CO 2RAR LTCOL Michael Bassingthwaighte.”

CMDR Aulmann said the skills acquired during TS15 could be equally applied to any mission.

“Whether military, peacekeeping or humanitarian, all missions require exactly the same skill sets,” he said.

“In fact, without amphibious capabilities,

it would have been impossible for the ADF to have undertaken recent humanitarian opera-tions to the Philippines and Vanuatu.”

LTCOL Bassingthwaighte said life for his soldiers on board Choules was excellent.

“As an embarked force it is a well-built ship,” he said.

“The accommodation is significant-ly improved compared to HMA Ships Kanimbla, Manoora or Tobruk, the food was fantastic and the crew were great hosts.

“When we departed for Darwin we had nine days to adjust to the cruising routine, which enabled us to maintain our skills, conduct tactical training and do professional military education without wearing our sol-diers out.

“We need to be careful when Army and Navy systems do not exactly align, especially with safety, so we developed an early close relationship with the crew to ensure what we did on board did not conflict with their safety requirements.”

Environmental challenges for Choules during its first amphibious exercise in the Northern Territory included extreme tidal ranges and strong tidal surges which gave the crew narrow windows to achieve all the land-ings within the given time.

At TS15 Australian, US and New Zealand military forces practiced the skill-sets critical to amphibious operations, CPL Mark Doran and LCDR Alistair Tomlinson reports.

TEST OF BEST Lessons learnt

for Hobart-class

AS AUSTRALIAN and United States Navy warships participated in Talisman Sabre 15 (TS15), a team of Australian warfare special-ists were being put through their paces on the other side of the world.

Led by COMWAR CDRE Peter Leavy, Australia’s contingent was comprised of core elements of the Fleet Battle Staff (FBS) augmented by individuals drawn from the ADF across a broad range of warfare disci-plines. The team was supported by person-nel from the Royal New Zealand Navy and International Policy Division.

Operating from the Third Fleet Headquarters in San Diego, California, Australian personnel were integrated into the Combined Forces Maritime Component Command (CFMCC) staff and worked close-ly alongside their USN counterparts in all aspects of Talisman Sabre.

The focus of the Australian staff was the conduct of activities in support of the training outcomes including the refinement of interop-erability between the ADF and US Forces.

CDRE Leavy performed the role of deputy CFMCC and said he was impressed by the level of enthusiasm of all participants

“It was another well planned and well exe-cuted exercise,’ CDRE Leavy said.

“The training value and experience the participants received out of this event will stand them in good stead for the conduct of combined operations into the future.”

At TS15, an Australian FBS element was embarked in amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.

Drawn from the core FBS, NUSHIP Adelaide and 1 Intelligence Battalion, they were responsible for the command and control of the forces protecting the US Navy Expeditionary Strike Group 7 (ESG) and its embarked United States marines, from enemy forces.

Supporting Sea Combat Commander CAPT Nick Woodley, and working with other ESG warfare commanders, the staff organ-ised the defence of the ESG from surface and submarine threats while in transit to the landing area during the landings and while the marines operated ashore in the vicinity of the Bradshaw Field Training Area in the Northern Territory.

CAPT Woodley directed the operations of USS Preble, HMAS Perth, HMAS Arunta and, for a short while, HMNZS Te Kaha to protect the amphibious units as they project-ed power ashore.

“Undertaking the role of Sea Combat Commander in ESG-7 was an extremely val-uable experience for the staff and is a signifi-cant milestone for Navy,” CAPT Woodley said.

“Part of Navy’s strategic plan is the estab-lishment of our own amphibious capability consisting of HMA Ships Canberra, Choules and the soon-to-be commissioned Adelaide.

“After further exercises, and culminating in Talisman Sabre 2017, these three ships and their protective escorts will provide the government with a formidable force capable of a wide range of operations and responses throughout our region.”

ABBM Matthew Parry fires HMAS Arunta’s 12.7mm machine gun during an anti-aircraft firing serial. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

POATA Darren Fry signals to approach HMAS Arunta’s Seahawk helicopter. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

HMAS Arunta in company with USS Bonhomme Richard during Talisman Sabre. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion disembark from an Army LCM-8 landing craft during a beach assault at Fog Bay, near Darwin. Photo: ABIS Tom Gibson

HMAS Perth leads the formation of ships including HMA Ships Arunta, Choules, Launceston, Albany, United States Ships Preble, Chaffe, Bonhomme Richard, Ashland, Green Bay and New Zealand Ship Te Kaha during a Photex during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Photo: LSIS Bradley Darvill

An LCM-8 landing craft approaches HMAS Choules during TS15. Photo: ABIS Tom Gibson

Coalition battlespace networks the globe

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion on board HMAS Choules

conduct a morning PT session on the flight deck.

Photo: ABIS Tom Gibson

Members of the Maritime Operational Heath Unit conduct a medevac simulation aboard HMAS Choules during TS15. Photo: ABIS Tom Gibson

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15HISTORYJuly 30, 2015 www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS

Sailors’ odd angry shotT HIS month marks the 115th

anniversary of the deployment of colonial naval forces to the Boxer Rebellion in China.

The Victorian Naval Brigade Contingent, comprising 200 men, left Melbourne on July 31, 1900, aboard the cargo-passenger ship SS Salamis, requi-sitioned by the Admiralty and renamed HMT 105, bound for China.

Also China-bound was the South Australian gunboat HMCS Protector and her complement of 100 men commanded by CAPT William Creswell.

The Salamis docked in Sydney to embark the NSW Naval Brigade Contingent of 200 men, and 26 soldiers headquartered at Victoria Barracks, who had enlisted for the Boer War.

The soldiers were keen to go to China but refused to be enlisted as sailors, while the NSW Naval Brigade opposed having soldiers in their ranks.

A compromise resulted in the military component being known as the NSW Marine Light Infantry (NSWMLI).

Salamis departed Sydney on August 8, arriving in Hong Kong on August 26, where the contingents moved on to Taku in Northern China and became a unit of the 1st Brigade, British Contingent, China Field Force.

The force was tasked with captur-ing the Chinese forts at Pei Tang, which dominated a key railway.

They arrived too late to take part in the battle, but were involved in the attack on the fortress at Pao-ting Fu, where the

Chinese government was believed to be after Peking (Beijing) was captured by western forces.

The Victorians then garrisoned Tientsin, while the NSW contingent undertook garrison duties in Peking.

Six sailors and marines died from sickness or injury, but none were killed as a result of enemy action.

HMCS Protector was otherwise engaged performing useful work as a survey vessel and in carrying dispatches in the Gulf of Pechili.

The Naval Brigades remained in China during the northern winter of 1900-01, performing policing and guard duties, as well as working as railwaymen and fire-fighters.

The NSWMLI formed an honour guard in Peking on New Year’s Eve for the proclamation of Federation in Australia.

The contingents left China on March 26, 1901, having played only a minor role in a few offensives and punitive expeditions and in the restoration of civil order.

The China Navigation Company Ltd vessel SS Chingtu was requisitioned to bring the contingents home and they steamed through Sydney Heads on April 25.

The last death to occur was that of PTE Charles Smart of the NSWMLI, who died of smallpox at Sydney’s North Head Quarantine Station on May 20, 1901, aged 22.

Colonial forces shadow-boxed an elusive enemy in the Boxer Rebellion in China, SGT Dave Morley reports.

Colonial sailors with the NSW and Victorian naval brigades conduct a drill in Peking (Beijing).

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A DRAFT of the third Defence Reconciliation Action Plan (DRAP) is now available for review and feedback.

The DRAP sets out practical actions that continue to progress and build on our indige-nous initiatives through employment pathways, procurement and participation in key events of significance to indigenous Australians.

Director Indigenous Affairs Glynn Greenaway said it was an opportunity for all Defence personnel to be part of our reconcilia-tion journey.

“The 2015-18 DRAP reflects our com-mitment to reconciliation as fundamental to Defence capability and how Defence contrib-utes to national interests in a domestic context,” Mr Greenaway said.

“It reflects our enduring recognition and commitment to reconciliation as a fundamental aspect of our cultural change efforts.

“The DRAP will set out where Defence is at in its reconciliation journey, where we’re head-ing and how we will get there.”

Over the past few months DRAP working group representatives have visited various areas of Defence to get input from each group and service.

The focus of these consultation sessions was to discuss reconciliation and give peo-ple the opportunity to put forward ideas and thoughts for the new plan.

“A key element to the success of the plan is the need to reflect the diverse nature of our business and allow for tailoring of programs and plans to suit the needs of each group and service and their changing requirements,” Mr Greenaway said.

The DRAP draft is available for review and feedback until August 7 at www.defence.gov.au/code/indig-enous/strategic/drap/default.asp Feedback can be emailed to [email protected]

Reconcilation for the future

MONASH University has published the results of the Defence Firefighters’ Health Study which examined the inci-dences of death and cancer in current and former ADF firefighters.

The study found the death rate among ADF firefighters was significantly lower than the age-matched Australian popula-tion and that the rates of cancer were about the same.

However, due to the relatively young age of the cohort and limitations on the number of former ADF firefighters who could be included in the study, research-ers could not draw a definitive conclu-sion from the results and suggested the study be updated in 10-15 years.

In responding to the study Chief of Air Force AIRMSHL Leo Davies reiter-ated Defence’s determination to look after its personnel.

“I want to assure all ADF personnel, past and present, that your health and welfare are central to everything we do as a military and I strongly encourage any current or former ADF firefighters

who have a diagnosed health condition, which they believe is service related, to contact the Department of Veterans’ Affairs,” AIRMSHL Davies said.

“This study is not the final word but it will certainly help Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs better understand the effects of military service on personnel and enable both organisa-tions to improve the care and welfare they provide to all ADF members.”

Defence commissioned the Firefighters’ Health Study in 2012. It included current and former ADF firefighters who served between 1980 and 2011.

The study compared their statistical health data against the national cancer and death registers.

Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs will continue to work closely with relevant ex-service organi-sations on all matters relating to the health of former Defence members.

Further details on the study can be found at: coeh.monash.org/ausfireftr.htm

JUNE TRIAL RESULTSAll Court Martial and Defence Force Magistrate trial results are subject to command review and appeal. The results are of trials across the ADF.

OFFICERDefence Force Magistrate2 x Obtaining a Financial Advantage – DFDA s 61(3) and Criminal Code s 135.2(1)

The member was accused of occupying service accommoda-tion that the member knew or believed the member was not eli-gible to occupy. The member was also accused of occupying non-service accom-modation that the member knew or believed the member was not eligible to occupy. The member pleaded guilty to the charges and was found guilty of the charges. The member was dismissed from the ADF.

16 PERSONNEL www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015

Feedback is sought on the third Defence Reconciliation Action Plan. Photo: John Carroll

Health study of firefighters

Monash University has conducted a review

into the health of Defence firefighters. Photo: ABIS Cassie McBride

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THE ACT Government Asbestos Response Taskforce released a reg-ister of addresses in the ACT affected by loose-fill asbestos insulation (also known as Mr Fluffy insula-tion) on July 1.

Serving and former Defence personnel who lived in Canberra in the 1970s and 1980s may be concerned the home they occupied was insulated with loose-fill asbestos.

The ACT government recently passed legisla-tion that provides for a register of the addresses of affected residential premises to be made publicly available.

People who suspect they may have been exposed to asbestos as a result of their employ-ment with Defence can call 1800 DEFENCE (1800 333 362) and ask-ing to be put through to the Defence Asbestos Exposure Evaluation Scheme, or visitwww.defence.gov.au/dpe/ohsc/programs/Asbestos

More information is on the Asbestos Response Taskforce website at www.asbesto-staskforce.act.gov.au

Jessica Richardson

DEFENCE One will deliver a sin-gle human resource management and payroll system to manage pay, leave and other personnel func-tions for all ADF members and civilian employees.

The system, which has a planned implementation of early next year, will be rolled out in three releases – Release 1a, Release 1b and Release 2.

Release 1a involves the decom-missioning of ADFPAY. Currently permanent members are paid through the ageing ADFPAY sys-tem, while reserve members and APS members are paid through PMKeyS.

Entering data in two systems leads to duplication of effort and increased errors.

Project director Brenton Searle said Defence One would enable a cost-effective and sustainable sys-tem with improved capability.

“The roll out of Defence One will lead to increased efficiencies and reduce the risk of incorrect pay-ments,” he said.

“With Defence One, self service for members will be expanded and members will be able to submit, modify and delete a range of new absence types, as well as certain allowances and deductions.

“Members will simply log on to Defence One, submit their applica-tion and it will be sent to their chain of command for approval.

“This will make the processing of leave and allowances faster and reduce the need for paper forms.”

Defence One will coincide with the streamlining of absence approvals.

Defence One on the way

17PERSONNELJuly 30, 2015 www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS

Asbestos addresses

The minimum rank of approv-ers for ADF absence and allowance requests has been standardised across the services.

Defence One has been designed to allow the appropriate workflow for approvals to be automatically applied.

As a simple rule, this means WO-level supervisors are the mini-mum rank that will receive simple absence requests via self service

However, for periods greater than 90 days, applications will need to be redirected to a LCDR in the

chain of command for approval. For all allowance requests,

the minimum rank for approval is LCDR-level.

The planned implementation of early 2016 ensures a successful outcome to deliver a fit-for-purpose and enduring payroll system for Defence.

For more information, check the new fact sheets at http://ciogintranet/organisation/HRDD/PSMB/DefenceOne/ or email ‘CIOG HRDP Communications’ on the DRN.

IN ONE of his last acts as Border Protection Commander before becom-ing the Commander Maritime Border Command, RADM Michael Noonan launched the new Australian Maritime Jurisdiction (AMJ) Manual at the University of Wollongong on June 29.

Formerly the document ADFP 06.1.2, AMJ was re-badged a manual in December 2013 and underwent a full rewrite.

Eighteen months later, the manual is up-to-date and RADM Noonan said it provided important advice to all who operated in the maritime environment.

“In reviewing and rewriting the AMJ, we aimed to adjust its content from that of a volume of teachings, principles and policy, to more of an instructive, practical user-guide,” RADM Noonan said.

“These adjustments took place con-currently with the introduction of the Maritime Powers Act 2013 (MPA).

“The MPA provides a broad set of enforcement powers for use in, and in relation to, maritime areas.

“The act consolidates enforcement powers of a number of other pieces of Australian legislation for offences applica-

ble to the maritime area, and so review of AMJ was very timely.”

The review was conducted by a team of specialist maritime lawyers working in consultation with Maritime Border Command in Canberra.

The team included Professor Stuart Kaye, (CMDR, RANR), Dr Cameron Moore (CMDR RANR), SQNLDR Kathryn Cochrane, LCDR Jane Proctor and LCDR Nick Edgeworth.

Notwithstanding its categorisation change from doctrine to manual, the revised AMJ consists of the same chapter format as its predecessor.

“This was because each area remains pertinent to Defence, albeit with varying adjustments to jurisdictional limitations,” RADM Noonan said.

AMJ’s opening chapters cover mari-time zones and jurisdictional boundaries.

It examines maritime law enforcement by the ADF, criminal law at sea, including piracy, fisheries, border and environment protection, and hot pursuit.

“All of these subjects are particularly relevant to ADF operations in support of protecting Australia’s maritime bounda-ries,” RADM Noonan said.

New jurisdiction manual

RADM Michael Noonan launches the new Australian Maritime Jurisdiction Manual with Professor of Law at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, Stuart Kaye.

Defence One will be rolled out in three releases early next year.

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Personnel from HMAS Albatross conquer a gruelling 48-hour endurance race, Dallas McMaugh reports.

Kings of the mountains

WITH time for dust to settle, blisters to heal and plenty of sleep, the members of the Navy Adventure

Racing Association (NARA) have been able to reflect on the highs and lows of completing the Geoquest 48-hour adventure race.

The NARA team of CMDRs Steve Arney, Gary Holgate and Cliff Kyle and CPO Raimund Winkler, all of HMAS Albatross, tackled the event at Hawks Nest during June 5-8.

They committed to an intensive training regime to prepare themselves for the arduous 200km of non-stop endurance racing.

“We were training in six-to-eight hour sessions to adequately prepare for 48 hours of non-stop activity,” CMDR Kyle said.

“We focussed on the three major disciplines of cross country running, mountain biking and kayaking, but because the course wasn’t revealed until the night before, it was hard to base training on any particular discipline.”

CMDR Kyle said hindsight was

wonderful but more preparation with equipment would have benefitted the team.

“Crucial technical aspects of the race could have been better understood if we’d studied previous Geoquest reports and race briefs,” he said.

While the NARA members took

the fitness component seriously, there were other aspects to GeoQuest that were harder to train for.

“When mental fatigue kicked in, little things made a big difference,” CMDR Kyle said.

“Things like not accounting for magnetic variation while navigating

or missing vital instructions at check-points.”

CMDR Kyle said some of the chal-lenges were predictable, such as swim-ming across rivers in the middle of the night without getting their clothes wet for fear of hypothermia.

“But I don’t think any of us thought

The team from HMAS Albatross at the Geoquest 48-hour adventure race.

we’d be managing the hallucinations we experienced as a result of sleep deprivation,” he said.

“These kicked in around the 36-hour mark and were most pro-nounced at dusk and while on the water in a kayak, where depth percep-tion was also a problem in obtaining correct bearings.”

CMDR Kyle said they finished in a time of 46hr and 15min, but their main goal was just to complete the event as it was their first race over such a distance.

The NARA team also competed against seasoned teams.

“We’ve competed in a number of 24-hour races so this seemed like the next step up for us,” CMDR Kyle said.

“Our team has a number of strengths, particularly our ability not to get stressed in situations where some other teams may have, and we have built up trust and understanding from doing similar races.

“We understand that each person goes through highs and lows through-out the 48 hours and as a team you have to keep them moving forward, which we did.”

While finishing was a definite highlight, CMDR Kyle said there were other aspects he enjoyed.

“There were awesome coastal runs, especially over the Stockton beach dunes and you cannot underes-timate the relief that comes from navi-gating your way to a checkpoint in the middle of the night with no references apart from the compass,” he said.

18 FEATURES www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015

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19FEATURESJuly 30, 2015 www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS

Less than two years after a serious football injury left him in a coma, LCDR Simon Levy has completed his first ironman event, Michael Brooke reports.

COMPLETING his first iron-man event since sustaining a traumatic brain injury playing Aussie rules football in 2013

was a major milestone for LCDR Simon Levy.

LCDR Levy completed the Cairns Ironman on June 14 in 13hr and 10min to place 78th in his age group and 492nd among 1000 competitors.

“The sense of relief, achievement, pride and overall exhaustion was amazing because this was my first attempt at any-thing like this since the accident,” LCDR Levy said.

LCDR Levy, of HMAS Albatross, clocked 1:18.11 in the swim, 6:24.58 on the bike and 5:16.25 in the marathon-distance run.

“The Ironman was one of the first times since the injury I have been able to stay awake for 13 hours without a nap,” he said.

LCDR Levy said the result was all the sweeter because he defied the injury and a critic who laughed at him for having the courage to tackle an ironman.

“It was incredible to complete it only 24 months after learning how to walk again,” he said.

“I am pleased to recall the reaction of the therapist who laughed when I said I wanted to compete in it.”

Completing the event was a triumph because of the seriousness of the injury which left LCDR Levy in a coma for four days after being knocked out while playing for the Albatross Demons.

On regaining consciousness, LCDR Levy started the long process of learning

to talk, walk, feed himself, and “generally function as an adult human once again”.

“As a result of the injury I have battled to overcome crippling bouts of depression, anger management issues and debilitating fatigue,” he said.

“Finishing the triathlon was a way of proving I am the master of my own destiny and that the injury will never beat or define me.”

LCDR Levy wants other Defence personnel with similar injuries and impair-ments to challenge themselves both physically and mentally through sports like triathlons.

“My main hope is that my efforts inspire other brain-injured people to achieve whatever they dream,” he said.

“I’m not setting out to break records but I do want to set an example for those in a similar situation and their families. I want them to know that you can recover from an injury like this and go on to live a full and accomplished life.”

LCDR Levy said no matter what hap-pens in life, if you stay positive, set goals and are willing to work for those goals, anything is possible.

Not surprisingly, LCDR Levy has taken aim at his next goal in the ironman arena.

“I am hoping to return to fulltime work soon and as for another ironman, I would like to get my time down to 10 hours to qualify for Kona in Hawaii,” he said.

“In ironman circles Kona is the grand final of the sport and by invitation only.”

Pre-injury LCDR Levy competed in Sydney half marathons, a Melbourne full marathon and numerous Sydney to Wollongong bike rides.

Iron-will comeback

LCDR Simon Levy, of HMAS Albatross, raises his arms in triumph after

completing the Cairns Ironman competition and (inset) savours a downhill section of the cycling leg.

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20 TRAINING www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015

LEUT Rob Valler

FOR one recruit graduating from Navy’s Defence Indigenous Development Program (DIDP), the program was more than a great opportunity.

Recruit Caleb Ober said the course was a life highlight for him.

“If I had to choose my best day ever, my finest hour, my dream which has come true; mine would be this,” he said.

It was a significant milestone for the 15 recruits who worked tirelessly for four months to build skills in physical fitness, literacy, numeracy, military compliance and cul-tural development.

Families and friends gathered at HMAS Cairns on July 9 for the graduation ceremony which recognised the increasing links between Navy and indigenous cultures.

The graduation featured a military parade followed by cultural dancing.

Parade reviewing officer CDRE Robert Morrison said it was a proud moment for the individuals and also a great celebration during NAIDOC Week.

“I was delighted to see these promising young men and women graduate here today and to hear of their achieve-ments during the program,” CDRE Morrison said.

“As they go on to serve in the Navy or whether they go on to contribute to their families and communities in some other way, they have all shown the great things they can do.”

This was the third Navy-led intake and forms part of Navy’s Indigenous Employment Strategy which is closely aligned to the Defence Reconciliation Action Plan and government’s commitment to increasing indigenous repre-sentation in the workforce.

OIC DIDP LCDR Luke Weston said the confidence and skills generated through the program were often a turning point for many indigenous Australians.

“Today was a proud day for the Navy, the recruits, their families, friends and communities,” he said.

“This graduation ceremony highlighted a true meeting of cultures which demonstrates that we can all stand proud-ly together and move forward for a better Australia.”

‘Best day ever’ for recruitReviewing officer CDRE Robert Morrison inspects graduating recruits of the Navy DIDP at HMAS Cairns. Photo: LSIS Nina Fogliani

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21TRAININGJuly 30, 2015 www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS

Tunnel vision for officers

LEUT Jessica Webster, SBLT Tania Nathan, LEUT Douglas Falconer, LEUT Kenric Smith and LEUT Luke Reynoldson were challenged at the Bungonia Caves which helped them develop their leadership skills.

TOMORROW’S leaders faced a different sort of leadership challenge when they descended into the Bungonia Caves as part of the Naval Officer Leadership Course 1 (NOLC1).

The caving activity on June 25 tested the groups’ physical and mental resilience as they climbed through the caves near Goulburn, NSW.

The activity left them exhaust-ed but with a sense of achieve-ment.

LEUT Luke Reynoldson enjoyed the responsibility of lead-ing his team through Fossil Cave.

“The map took us to a small hole in the ground which looked no bigger than a wombat hole,” he said.

“It was a tight squeeze initially, but once we started our descent the small hole opened into an amazing cave system.”

LEUT Kenric Smith said the cave adventure challenged his bud-ding leadership skills.

“I certainly had to face a few

fears in the cave system, because as a child I had a fear of heights and confined spaces,” he said.

“It is amazing what can be achieved when you work together as a team, and we pushed each other to get the job done.”

After the officers completed NOLC1 they returned to the Fleet to consolidate their new leadership skills.

NOLC1 was the second phase of the leadership management and professional development con-tinuum for the naval officers who completed the New Entry Officers’ Course at HMAS Creswell.

NOLC1 was designed to devel-op the skills officers require to be effective leaders, divisional offic-ers and personnel managers.

These leadership skills and training will be further developed when the officers return later in their careers for NOLC2.

More information on NOLC1 can be found at the Management and Strategic Studies Faculty webpage on the DRN.

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Tips for a healthy smileDental Health Week, from August 3-10, is a perfect time to brush up on your dental hygiene, SGT Dave Morley reports.

IMPROVING dental hygiene can be as easy as brushing and flossing regularly and watching what you eat and drink, according to the

Director of Defence Force Dentistry, COL Genevieve Constantine.

Most sports and fizzy drinks con-tain large amounts of sugar, which are broken down in your mouth into tooth-eroding acid.

COL Constantine says to reduce ero-sion of tooth enamel, members should cut down on the number of these types of drinks.

“They should also drink through a straw, swish water around in their mouth after they finish a sports or fizzy drink and don’t sip sports or fizzy drinks over a prolonged period,” she says.

“Many members experience long periods of low or limited hydration dur-ing training, which increases the risk of dental erosion due to a decrease in sali-vary flow resulting in inadequate rinsing of tooth surfaces.

“This, coupled with the acidic effect of sugary drinks, may lead to more sig-nificant erosion of the tooth surfaces.”

COL Constantine says diet and eat-ing habits can also affect dental health.

“When you eat or drink, the sugars get broken down by the bacteria in your mouth to form acid. This acid attacks the surfaces of your teeth,” she says.

“Teeth are actually at their weakest about 30 minutes after eating.

“Don’t brush your teeth for about one hour after eating or drinking as the acid temporarily softens tooth enamel and brushing at this point will cause damage.

“If you don’t snack again before your next meal, the saliva in your mouth neutralises the acid and helps to protect your teeth until your next meal.”

COL Constantine says snacking reg-ularly doesn’t give saliva an opportunity to neutralise acid, which leaves teeth under constant acid attack.

“Don’t eat or drink before you go to bed and make brushing and flossing the last thing you do before sleep,” she says.

Teeth should be brushed twice a day for at least two minutes and members should floss once a day.

“Two minutes of brushing is a long time and brushing should be timed until

you are used to the two-minute dura-tion,” COL Constantine says.

It is also best to use a toothbrush with soft bristles.

“Brushing your teeth and gums with a hard brush can cause damage,” COL Constantine says.

“Brushing your tongue is also impor-tant as bacteria can build up on the sur-face of your tongue.”

In accordance with individual readi-ness requirements (IR), ADF members are required to have a dental examina-tion annually.

Your dentist will provide education and advice if they are concerned about your oral hygiene or dietary habits.

Be aware of dental waiting times at your local health facility and book early to prevent IR-noncompliance.

For more information, visit the Australian Dental Association’s website at www.ada.org.au or speak to your dentist.

DENTAL DO’S AND DON’TS

Reduce the number of sugary drinks you consume

Drink sports and fizzy drinks through a straw and rinse with water afterwards

Brush teeth and gums twice a day for two minutes with a soft brush

Remember to also brush your tongue

Floss once a day

Don’t brush your teeth straight after eating

Don’t eat or drink before going to bed

Don’t snack between meals

Dentist LEUT Sally Cochrane and dental

assistant SMN Agnieszka Byzdra conduct a routine

check-up on LSDENH Jade Van Haeff.

Photo: ABIS Dove Smithett

22 HEALTH & FITNESS www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS July 30, 2015

23SPORTJuly 30, 2015 www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS

WO2 Andrew Hetherington

MAN-of-the-match ABET Will Solway led the Combined Australian Services Rugby League (CASRL) team to a narrow victory against a visiting United Kingdom Defence Force (UKDF) side at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, on July 8.

The CASRL team scored their match-winning try in the last three minutes to win 26-24 in a tough physi-cal encounter during the curtain raiser match for State of Origin III.

Team Coach WO2 Brian Jones said his players were under pressure from the kickoff.

“Early in the first half the UKDF executed their plays perfectly and set-up by their forwards, well placed kicks

from their halves put us under enormous pressure,” WO2 Jones said.

“When we finally got possession and the chance to complete a few sets the team kicked into gear with our game plan.”

WO2 Jones said their main tactic was to get the ball out wide early.

“Once we’d stretched their defence, we hit back inside where they were prone to miss tackles,” he said.

“This paid off with both our centres beating their men to set up or score long-range tries which helped us to get to a halftime score of 16-16.”

Early in the second half scoring stalled as forwards from both sides tackled hard to defend what ground they had gained.

“With only a 17-man squad to begin with and two forwards out due to injury,

AB Solway stepped up to lead the for-wards which kept us in the game,” WO2 Jones said.

Both teams scored a try in the sec-ond half to level the scores at 22-22 with 10 minutes to play.

The UKDF broke the deadlock with a penalty goal in front of the goal posts.

This gave the CASRL team time to recover as they were fatigued and were reeling from the pressure.

“I thought the penalty goal was a mistake by the UK team, as we had no reserves,” WO2 Jones said.

“I knew if we got the ball we were still a chance of scoring more points. With three minutes to go, the UKDF made a mistake trying to return a kick and got a scrum near their tryline.”

From that scrum CASRL centre LAC Mitchell Simington barged his

way over the tryline to score the match-winning try.

The game was the first time front rower AB Solway played against a UKDF side.

“I thought they were strong with a lot of structure which showed they’d trained for a number of weeks,” AB Solway said.

“I’d heard things from my team-mates that the UK were known for being very aggressive and the match was exactly what we had expected.”

AB Solway said the highlight of the match was the last three minutes of play.

“The UK forces were trying to run the ball from behind their 10m line when LSPT Mitch Morton with some help from other players picked up the UKDF’s ball runner and drove him back behind his tryline,” AB Solway said.

“When he hit the ground he knocked the ball on, which led to our scrum and the winning try.”

AB Solway said it was great to be a part of the winning side.

“Before the match I was 100 per cent confident that with the experienced team we had, we could get the job done,” he said.

“I had no expectations of being awarded man-of-the-match but I was proud to have received it in front of my family and friends in the crowd.”

ADF rugby league players are now looking forward to next year’s interser-vice carnival and beyond to the 2017 Rugby League Defence Forces World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Sailors inspire league win

The Combined Australian Services Rugby league team sings the national anthem before their match against a visiting UK Defence Force side and celebrates after being presented with the shield after their two-point victory in the curtain-raiser to State of Origin III at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.

Red Anchor volleyballTHE Red Anchor volleyball competition will be held at All Sorts Indoor Sports Centre in Sydney at 9am on August 12. Nominations and enquires are to be submitted to LSPT Mitchell Morton at the Navy Indoor Sports Centre by August 7, via email at [email protected] or by phone (02)9359 2406.

Mons Cup rugbyTHE 2015 Mons Cup will be contested in Sydney on August 21. Format for the

SPORT SHORTS

LSATA Gary Niemeier, of 723SQN, shields the ball during the NAIDOC Week seven-a-side football competition. Photo: LSIS Yuri Ramsey

Football triumphNAVY savoured glory in the men’s over-35s competition by beating the Nowra Bumerangs 5-2 at the NAIDOC Week seven-a-side football tournament.

The competition was conducted by the Shoalhaven Aboriginal community on July 10.

Team captain POCSS Martin Ball, of HMAS Watson, said the cup final was an intense struggle against determined opposition.

“It was a great outcome for Navy and

we are already looking forward to com-peting next year,” he said.

The second over-35 team captained by POATV Phil Henshaw, of 723SQN, conceded a goal in the last minute of extra time to lose 2-1 in the final of the plate competition.

ABATA Jim Niemeier, of 808SQN, was voted most valuable player.

The men’s open team won all its qualification matches but lost the Cup final 4-2.

ABATA Coen Goode, of 725SQN, was voted the most valuable player.

event will be a round-robin competition of 15 per side for men and 10 per side for women. Team nominations or expressions of interest are to be submitted to LSPT Morton at [email protected] by August 7.

Archery call to armsPERSONNEL interested in archery becoming a recognised ADF sport and participating in future events against other ADF and overseas personnel should contact POET Luke Ryan at [email protected].

a family does the same.

For each serving Australian who risks everything,

Show your support and buy a badge this Legacy Week.

SPORTVolume 58, No. 14, July 30, 2015

BREAK THROUGHSailor leads ADF team to close win against visiting UK side

Page 23

Man of the match ABET William Solway busts through

a couple of tacklers during the ADF vs United Kingdom Defence Force rugby league

match played as a curtain raiser to the deciding State of Origin match at Suncorp

Stadium. Photo: LAC Brenton Kwaterski

LEARN RESPECT CELEBRATE

SPECIAL LIFTOUT

We all stand on sacred ground ...

SMNCIS Kelly Clear prepares to raise the Aboriginal flag for

the HMAS Stirling NAIDOC Week colours ceremony.

Photo: ABIS Chris Beerens

NAVY NAIDOC WEEKJuly 30, 2015

National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week from July 5-12 provided Navy with the opportunity to celebrate its indigenous personnel. It was also a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements as well as to recognise the contributions that indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.

SACRED TURFHMAS Penguin

AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of Country Plaque was unveiled at

HMAS Penguin on July 9 as part of NAIDOC Week.

The plaque was unveiled by CO Penguin CMDR Paul Gall and Neil Evers, a direct descendant of the Garigal clan of Guringai language people.

Mosman Mayor Peter Abelson, traditional elders and descendants of Bungaree, the leader of the Garigal clan, attended the unveiling, which included a smoking ceremony, a didgeridoo player and Penguin's ship’s company.

CMDR Gall said Navy had long rec-ognised links with the first Australians.

“Navy has a proud history of engage-ment with indigenous Australia,” CMDR Gall said.

“ Many of our ships including Arunta and Kuttabul are drawn from Aboriginal words or places.”

“The first ship named after an indi-vidual was HMAS Bungaree, a WWII auxiliary minelayer named after King Bungaree – the first Australian-born cir-cumnavigator of our country.

“He rounded the continent with Matthew Flinders in the sloop HMS Investigator during 1802-03.

“Later, Governor Macquarie asked him to be in charge of a farming commu-nity comprising 16 Aboriginal families located on Middle Head. We are lucky to have here two relatives of Bungaree, Laurie Bimson and Neil Evers.

“Today we recognise the traditional owners of the land, the contribution made by indigenous men and women who have contributed to the defence of Australia in times of peace and war.

“We also take the time to celebrate the diversity of the Navy’s workforce.”

Mr Evers paid his respects to the elders of the Camergal clan and said his ancestors would be pleased by the rec-ognition.

“On their behalf I would like to thank all those involved with this event.

“It’s with your help the first people of this nation are being recognised.”

– Natalie Staples

HMAS Stirling

PERSONNEL from HMAS Stirling mustered on a breezy quarterdeck on

July 8 for a special ceremony as part of NAIDOC Week.

CO Stirling CAPT Angela Bond said

NAIDOC Week was an opportunity to acknowledge indigenous servicemen and women, both past and present.

“Historical indigenous representation in the ADF occurred before Federation with indigenous personnel first serving in the colonial forces during the Boer War,” she said.

“Since then, this representation has continued through WWI, into WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam as well as modern era conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

“Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are represented in all three services and their commitment has been acknowledged at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.”

SWO William Nicol said this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of ‘we all stand on sacred ground: learn, respect and celebrate’ highlighted the strong spiritual and cultural connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have with the land and sea.

“This was also an opportunity for all Australians to pay their respects to country, and to honour those who work tirelessly to preserve traditional culture,” he said. – LEUT Gary McHugh

HMAS Albatross

NAIDOC Week in the Shoalhaven was one of the busiest ever. Celebrations

started at HMAS Albatross with the raising of the Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal and Australian flags.

Activities to follow included a memo-rial service for indigenous veterans, a soccer tournament and a mass photo opportunity during a family fun day.

CO Albatross CAPT Simon Bateman said NAIDOC Week was an important event in the community calendar.

“NAIDOC provides an opportunity for Australians of all backgrounds to come together and celebrate indigenous history, heritage and culture and it’s very gratifying to see indigenous and non-indigenous personnel participate in all aspects of this celebration,” CAPT Bateman said.

“I attended the service at the Nowra War Memorial earlier in the week and really appreciated the opportunity it gave me to pay my respects to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have served in our Defence forces.

“I also attended the family fun day and really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was great that Navy could be part of such a big family event through the par-ticipation of our helicopter and the local community engagement team.”

The fun day attracted a big crowd with a diverse range of stalls and enter-tainment.

Community engagement team mem-bers LSPT Jan Gilmour and ABBM-SE Terren Bennet were kept busy with activities which attracted children and parents.

“Our stall was a great space for inter-acting with the community,” LS Gilmour said.

“While the children got creative, we got to talk to their parents and we had some really enjoyable conversations, answering questions about careers in Defence but also getting a real sense of how much Albatross means to the local community.”

AB Bennet had the task of arranging several hundred participants to form the word ‘NAIDOC’ across the showground so that 723SQN could capture an aerial shot from a Bell 429 helicopter.

To wrap up the week, the Navy Football Federation Australia (FFA) organised the inaugural NAIDOC Cup on July 10.

Navy FFA director LCDR Jim Ford said the seven-a-side tournament was a fun event with serious objectives.

“Navy personnel from Canberra and Sydney combined with players from Albatross to form three teams which played against local indigenous teams including one from the Wreck Bay com-munity,” LCDR Ford said.

“It was a great way to promote foot-ball at the grass roots level within the Navy while supporting and celebrating NAIDOC week.” – Dallas McMaugh

ADFA

THE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags will fly over the

Australian Defence Force Academy’s (ADFA) parade ground in Canberra all year to help strengthen the relationship with the indigenous community.

ADFA Commandant AIRCDRE Alan Clements said the flags would be raised permanently instead of just during NAIDOC Week.

“I believe that it is recognising the contribution Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders have made not only to the ADF, but the community of Australia,” he said.

The flags now join the colours of 12 nations represented on the parade ground.

“We believe that standing on sacred ground is something that as dear to our hearts as it is to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” AIRCDRE Clements said.

LAC Michael Cumbers of the Kamilaroi Tribe said it was an honour to have the flags fly.

“It’s important to have the flag up as it shows we recognise indigenous people are coming here and there is still a cul-tural flavour coming through.”

AIRCDRE Clements hoped the move would help attract more indigenous peo-ple to the Academy.

“I hope they see this as a place they can come and feel welcome the same way the Ngunnawal people welcome us to the country.”

Russell, Canberra

FOR ABBM Taylor Bradshaw, NAIDOC Week this year will be

one he won’t forget as he was one of the indigenous Defence members given the honour of raising the Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander flags during a ceremony at Defence HQ in Canberra on July 6.

“As an indigenous member of the ADF, I was extremely proud to partici-pate in the NAIDOC Week flag-raising ceremony,” AB Bradshaw said.

The flag-raising ceremony was fol-lowed by the launch of a joint Defence and DVA Photographic Exhibition.

The exhibition featured the images and contributions of indigenous Defence members including CPONPC Ray Rosendale.

“I am very humbled and proud to have served both my country and my people,” CPO Rosendale said.

RAAF Base Edinburgh

LINKS between Edinburgh Defence precinct and the local indigenous

community of the Adelaide Plains were strengthened during NAIDOC Week.

RAAF Base Edinburgh hosted more than 100 members of the Kaurna commu-nity on July 7 with a parade, flag-raising ceremony, exchange of gifts, traditional dancing, a forum and demonstrations and inspections of aircraft and equipment.

The Kaurna Community is recognised as the traditional owners of the land on which the precinct stands. This was formalised in the handing over of new signage, in English and Kaurna language, that will be displayed across the precinct.

The male recruits of the third Navy Defence Indigenous Development Program perform a lyrebird dance at their graduating ceremony at HMAS Cairns. Photo: LSIS Nina Fogliani

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags fly proudly at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra, ACT.

Indigenous elder Laurie Bimson performs a smoking ceremony at HMAS Penguin, Sydney. Photo: Chantell Brown

Below: Nowra locals form the initials NAIDOC during festivities at the Nowra showgrounds. Photo: ABIS Sarah Williams

ABBM Taylor Bradshaw and

PTE Mark Tau’ufo’uo at the Canberra

flag-raising ceremony held

at Blamey Square to

recognise and celebrate the

rich history, culture and

achievements of Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander people. Photo: Lauren Larking

LSPT Jan Gilmour holds a python with Dusty Jones from Falls Creek Wildlife Rescue at the Nowra Showgrounds for the NAIDOC Week celebrations. Photo: LSIS Yuri Ramsey

NAVY July 30, 2015 NAIDOC WEEK

LEARN

RESPECT

FOOD FOR THOUGHTHMAS Newcastle’s indigenous crew put on a feast of bush tucker to celebrate NAIDOC Week, WO Vaughn Heath reports.

AS HMAS Newcastle patrolled the Indian Ocean in support of Operation Manitou, the sound of the didgeridoo and singing from

an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ quartet rang out from the galley.

The cultural theme was designed to celebrate NAIDOC Week with an indig-enous and islander banquet fit for a family gathering of Newcastle’s crew.

The event’s mastermind was LSML-C Nick Collins who wanted to ensure Newcastle’s crew celebrated the history, culture and achievements of its impressive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander com-munity with fitting recognition.

To make the celebration a success LSML-C Collins and the galley team gath-ered as many of the required ingredients as possible during the ship’s port visit to the Seychelles.

With sound advice from the indigenous experts, the menu was planned to bring the ship’s company an array of food inspired by the pristine waters of Arnhem Land to the great Melanesian and Polynesian islands, and the Spinifex deserts of the Red Centre.

The ship’s company queued in antici-pation and were surprised to find the ship’s indigenous members playing traditional tunes on the didgeridoo, wearing tradition-al ochre face paint with traditional head attire, and ready to serve the traditional food.

The delicacies included magpie goose stir fry, wild turkey kumara coconut curry, crocodile tail poached in waterlily and desserts ranging from native coco bean coconut panna cotta to Queensland mango rice pudding to satisfy the fussiest of taste buds.

Newcastle’s indigenous community of LSCSO Khory Beezley, LSCSO Rebecca Florance, ABBMs Kaleb Cohen, Alan Patterson, Desmond Taylor and Kyh Mye agreed that the celebratory meal was a beautiful and special occasion.

They said they were proud to be part of a ship’s company that recognised and celebrated such an important part of their culture.

ABBM Patterson said Navy’s indigenous recruiting program and the positive culture in Newcastle were proving successful.

“The number of indigenous personnel in Newcastle is proof of that,” he said.

“We hope our success and the respect and recognition we are shown on board will help the younger generation of indig-enous personnel better themselves and be proud to represent their family and culture as part of the Navy on operational deploy-ment.”

LSCSO Florance, Newcastle’s only female indigenous member, was delighted by the show of support.

“I am proud to be part of one ship, one culture and one family,” she said.

Indigenous members of serve up the bush tucker they prepared for NAIDOC Week to the hungry ship’s company HMAS Newcastle. Photos: LSIS Brenton Freind

ABET Alan Lucas, of NUSHIP Hobart, is a member of Navy’s Bungaree Indigenous Performance Group.He said being part of the group gave him a chance to show his strong connection to his culture. “I particularly enjoy participating in dances with Bungaree.“We wear a mix of traditional dress and naval uniform to represent both our traditional and military heritages.”“NAIDOC Week is a week to be proud of who we are.” – ABET Alan Lucas

“NAIDOC Week was about celebrat-ing my culture and history with my family. It was an opportunity for me to thank all the people who have supported me on my life journey.“I have had time to appreciate my culture and to make plans for the next chapter of my life. “The future involves marrying my beautiful fiancé and giving my daughter the life that she deserves.” – ABBM Glenn Ritchie, HMAS Kuttabul

NAVY July 30, 2015

Time to reflect Link to culture Sense of identity“During NAIDOC Week I place central importance on my sense of identity through my work commitments and sharing my culture with my shipmates.

“NAIDOC Week allows peo-ple to celebrate through singing and dancing, which helped us to better understand each oth-er’s culture.”– SMNCSO Matthew Lancaster, HMAS Tobruk

NAIDOC WEEK

Indigenous members of HMAS Newcastle’s ship’s company with

the meals they created to mark NAIDOC Week. Back row from left:

ABBM Desmond Taylor, ABBM Kaleb Cohen and LSCSO Khory Beezely.

Front: ABBM Alan Patterson and ABBM Kyh Mye.

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