The Navy has come a long way since they used signal flags, and Gosnall’s man Leo Vredenbregt is part of the latest generation of communicators.
After Gosnells Senior High School, Leo turned his Navy cadet time into a permanent career.
23 years later, Leo is a Chief Petty Officer who manages communications and information systems aboard HMAS Parramatta, one of the Navy’s latest warships. He and his shipmates are recently back from pirate patrol in the middle east.
Leo’s responsible for 15 sailors that ensure the ship’s Commanding Officer has the systems needed to run a modern warship in peace or war.
“My sailors manage and operate complex computer networks, satellite communications, HF and UHF radios — and we can still use flags and semaphore if everything else is down.”
The Parramatta’s recent anti-piracy patrols also gave Leo the chance to visit many Middle Eastern ports.
“My favourite was Aqaba in Jordan, where we got chance to explore the ancient city of Petra.”
Leo’s mother, step father and brother still live in Gosnells, but Leo and his shipmates are now exercising off the West Australian coast before deploying to South East Asia.
His wife Linda, and children Erika and Jack, are currently based in Canberra.
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