THE REASON I JOINED THE RAN.
A three way pact made by
my best schoolmates Ian Christmas, Pete Davies and myself at the start of year 9 in Feb 1973 at Elizabeth
Boys High in School South Australia. All three of us were smoking on the boundary fence of the sports field.
Ian put on a strong case that we should all join the Navy as we were all getting
our ears bashed at home as to what we intended to do with our lives. The thought of both Ian and Pete on the
same ship was very reassuring but how stupid was I to
of actually believe at that time that those two really
had any intentions to get their hair cut!
The congratulatory letter of acceptance to join the RAN arrived in
August of 73. Ian and Peter never did go to the recruitment office. Many a sleepless nights when asking myself
over and over again what does one actually do in the Navy? I started to remember that Abbott and Costello
movie but I very much doubted that I would be meeting the Andrew Sisters on this journey.
YOU'RE IN SAILOR.
Adelaide in December
1973 was as about as exciting as watching grass grow! Pirie street in Adelaide on New
Years Eve was deserted and if it was not for the street cleaners across the road no one would have witnessed
this huge event in our lives. The Ceremony was held at the recruitment Centre and in our group were Allan
(Blue) Willoughby, Craig (Gilbo) Gilbertson, Freddy Slavin, Terry Pannell, both the Fribbin brothers Tasman and Paul,
Kym Leech and Ralf Peterson (Sorry if I have missed anyone). During the ceremony of oath they ran out of Bibles
so quite a few of us had to pretend to have one while pledging our loyalty to Her Majesty. Five minutes later
I was being yelled at by some no badge AB WTR because I needed to be told to load up my suitcase into the back
of the truck. I remember those words "You're in the Navy now".
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INDIAN PACIFIC
Three things stuck out in my memory of the trip between Adelaide and Perth. The snake like winding corridors
of each train car had us all bouncing from one bulkhead to the other, even though we were all sober. The 3m x 2m
dog boxes they called twin share cabins that were so small you had to get in bed to close the door (Nothing has
changed in my 2005 trip to Perth in the dimensions of those twinettes). Last but not least the amount of JRs that
you could get into the room that was occupied by Gilbo. Always more street smarter than most of us he was a magnet
for inquisitive young knobs like me.
ARRIVAL HMAS LEEUWIN
Bit of a blur for me as there was a lot of name calling falling in to rabble formation with sneers and evil looks from JR's milling around the corners of each building. These blokes stood out with a distinct lack of hair and faded Navy Blue AWD Shirts. I don't think we were in the gates more than 3 hrs before we were all seated down in the barber shop. I do remember watching Gilbo loosing those long blond locks and also the blood red hair from Blue Willoughby after him being scalped.
DIVISIONAL STAFF
LEUT Roberts R. C. R.A.N There was no mistaking of what we were in for when introduced to this man.
No taller than 5ft 7 or 8 and had a voice that would make the hairs on your neck stand up then drop off.
After working with WOQMG Butch Berry at Cerberus and WOQMG Sheather in the 80s and 90s, I can say with out
a doubt that both of them although scary to most Sailors and Officers did not have the ability to throw their
voice to the classrooms of the Academic Block from the dais of the parade ground at Leeuwin as could our leader.
POAVN Kev Whitting was really organised and got us all into shape quick smart. His uniform was
impeccable and had creases in his shirt that could draw blood. His shirts had the brightness of polyester and
they had not been invented at this stage. Always remember how we were marching down a road or on the parade
ground, he could be marching alongside the left hand marker having a quiet word or two (Norm Hunt from 2nd
Platoon) and yet could be kicking you up the arse at 10 rear rank within 3 seconds later. He never doubled to
get to you but he could sure raise the cadence and stretch out those little legs if needed.
ABUC Wayne Grimes was very approachable to get info from in between tasks and being an ex JR he
was sympathetic to our questions. For what the LEUT and PO lacked in height Wayne made up for this. I was
later to serve with Wayne on Yarra doing Maloka Trials in 79 both of us hookies and to this day we both talk
via email.
Chief MTP Clarke seemed to only surface out of the Div Office after Wayne and the Fox had put us
into an addressable or inspectional. He always picked up someone for something but was quietly spoken in his
communication most times.
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NICK NAMES
Percil Piss Pot Parr! Percil given to me by Kev Whitting as he apparently knew a Percil Parr. It was not
used by the rest of the boys until about mid year when I got a sponsor called Bill Andrews. Bill called me Piss Pot
through my inability to stay sober on less alcohol than contents of his mothers Christmas cake. The "Fox" was from
what I remember on a sticker on his back window of Kev Whitting's white car and the Foxes tail off his aerial. He
liked it and it was easier to quietly warn others "fox" prior to him spring us smoking when we shouldn't be. No
Nick names for Chief Clarke and always "SIR" for LEUT Roberts.
NEW HOME
Top Deck Marks. You could not call them rooms as they were open for all to see. Two full concrete walls, one with windows with two sash half windows and two half walls. One half wall to separate the next 2 blokes in the next dorm and the other to house the lockers from the passageway. I shared an area with Bret Ollington (Ollie) but moved later in the year down the far end. The floors on the top deck were all lino and within 4 weeks they would shine like mirrors through continual polishing with the industrial polisher.
MEMORIES
In no special order:-
- Daniel Milgate, Dave Adams Steve Saggus and Freddy Ververka with our shore leave at East Fremantle Sponsors garage where we drank ourselves to oblivion. Going to the Easter show with wigs on so that we would not be identified as sailors.
- Trips to Johnny Entwisle's tattoo shop with Steve Saggus starting our body canvases for the next 20 years.
- OXP to NORTHAM Army Camp and watching the 6f 3inch frame of Tiny Travis fly off the top of the main water pipe that feeds the city after his back pack Radio with 20m aerial connected with the main power lines that ran directly overhead of the water pipe. The fact that he survived was amazing and with only a big hole in his back to show for war wounds.
- The day JR Cains got a partial home made tattoo on the forearm and was worried about being run in. His tattoo looked like crap and was incomplete. Having been run in myself for four tattoos he asked me for advice. We were at Steve Saggus bed and we convinced him that we could remove it with a hot Iron. With less than half an hour of brain washing I successfully held the 2" tip of a hot iron to his tattoos for an agreed 5 seconds while over 6 JRs held him down. After the skin had healed in two weeks his tattoo was still there.
- While carrying out No 10s Mup's in the Wardroom Galley, how the big fat hairy Cook gave me an introductory cookery course in the "extra contents" of the soup for the officers for the evening meal that had me dry reaching and the corner of the scullery and gave me a heads up to never trust a cook with a chip on his shoulder. No more said!
- Being stupid enough to put my name down for the boxing yet smart enough to run around in circles to avoid the top shit beating the crap out of me.
- Being picked up in the main street of Perth by police for the apparent destruction of Perth's Parliament House heads with 2 other girls that got me boozed up at a little bottle shop in the suburbs and in a footy change room.. After 10 min of question time and even though the cops knew we were pissed they released us as they found out that the vandalism had been done 24 hrs prior.
- The lessons I learnt when eye balling a top shit who then in turns jacks you to the rear of the scran line that stretched to stairs of Marks division.
- Those so called fried eggs that had less time on the hot plate than the sweat that fell off the cook's forehead.
- Witnessing a JR in our squad faint and fall backwards onto someone else's bayonet through his shoulder. This had me wiggling those toes continually for the remainder of that training.
- Punishment for falling asleep during the "Atom" movie in the Academic lecture was the never ending show and tell double march to the QM and back to the Academic Block. I had to find out his middle name to which came to reply I have two which one do you want? Three trips there and back was a good lesson to stay awake for future movies.
- The looks of despair in my direction on the face of Mick Pert in the next dorm when his roommate Petchy carried on in a tangent conversation about "nothing". Petchy made us laugh every day with his eccentric ideas and conversations but it was his ability to attract attention during marches on being overheard talking that had us doubling most places.
- The area between marks and morrow (See my picture in 2A's top) there was a huge swarm of bees that attached its self to the fire hydrant. With about 40 JRs all gathered around someone got the great idea to hit them with a wall of water from another fire hose. This upset them a bit so they started attacking the hose team who all dropped the hose still charged and then the hose turned on all of us like a mad serpent swinging madly around near taking the heads off all the onlookers who inturn were still getting stung by a couple hundred bees.
- Last but not least the bloke from the 46th who will remain nameless to turn up for the first liberty call on the parade ground near the gangway. Fits of laughter from about 200 would be liberty men when he was singled out by the coxswains with the seven sea creases in his bells and an extra four long crease running down the full length of the bells to create 64 rectangles..... Priceless ;-)
FRIENDSHIPS
Allen Willoughby (Blue).
Both of us joined up together in South Australia and we were very competitive with the kit musters and ability
to out spit polish most of our mates. We met each others families while on leave and through out our 20 years
served on the same ships or worked in conjunction with each as both Chief QMGs. We still see each other and
our families when ever we can make it interstate.
AFTER LEEUWIN
- HMAS Cerberus SMN-Weapons Mechanic Course 1975
- HMAS Stuart SMNWM / ABWM 75-78
- HMAS Vendetta LSWM 78-79
- HMAS Torrens LSWM 79
- HMAS Penguin Hospital 79
- HMAS Yarra LSWM 79-80
- HMAS Kuttabul FMP LSWM 80-81
- HMAS Parramatta LSWM 81-83
- HMAS Kuttabul LSQMG 83-85
- HMAS Cerberus POQMG 85-86
- HMAS Darwin POQMG 86-89
- HMAS Nirimba POQMG 89-90
- HMAS Cerberus CPOQMG 90-91
- HMAS Sydney CPOQMG 91-93
- HMAS Nirimba CPOQMG Discharge 1993
TODAY
I am married to my lovely wife Donna and have been for over 29 years with three children. Sons Aaron, Ashley and my favourite daughter Aimee. I live in the Blue Mountains NSW. Work as an Assistant Station Master on the Railway and have been for 15 years. Thanks to Mr Rudd I still have 15 years before retirement and Donna and I hope to travel Australia for 2 years before settling on the coast next to the ocean. I love gardening and I am still collecting memorabilia that surrounds my bar that I built in 97.
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