The words ‘public service’ and ‘high-paced profession’ aren’t often used together. My government job doesn’t include jets, submarines or driving an Anzac Class frigate – but I recently got the opportunity to see and experience these things up close.For one week during Exercise Triton Storm II myself and two fellow reserve officers lived and worked onboard HMAS Parramatta (Commander Heath Robertson). During this time we lived the life of a sailor at sea and took part in the crew’s daily routine.
Our stint onboard Paramatta was brief but filled with jobs to do and things to learn. Parramatta joined HMA Ships Ballarat,Toowoomba, Perth, Sirius and Waller as well as Ships Te Mana, and Te Kaha in anti-submarine and anti-air warfare, boardings and damage control training off the west coast.
The crew were more than accommodating, considering we were reservists who were entering the situation with no experience of life at sea. They answered all our stupid questions without hesitation (and more importantly, without too much laughing).
Over the course of our week onboard we peeled potatoes in the galley, worked on the foc’sle during replenishment at sea, took oil samples from the diesel engines and kept watch on the bridge.
My time onboard gave me a new appreciation for the long hours and hard work members of the Navy put in at sea. It is largely due to the crew’s hard work that ships like Parramatta function. And it is thanks to their willingness to share their knowledge that I was able to walk away from my brief time at sea with a long list of good experiences, and fewer stupid questions to ask.
Source : http://www.navy.gov.au
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