I have several I want to share.
I drafted to TP from Canterbury seeking to become what was known then as an SR Bastard. Our CO was a very hardworking and very hard drinking LtCdr John Stoakes RIP. He worked well, socialised well and lead well. His work ethic would follow me throughout my Drog Life. oh and to add if there was an empty bottle of gin on the fwd mess deck he wanted a top up of Squirt.
I was a lowly LHA, Bulk Storeman and O Stations Go To Man. The then skipper was another fine leader, Commander Ken Robertson. He took me aside early on in the survey and asked me how much notice I needed to do current meter lays?? I estimated 45 minutes and when we did the first lay we managed 35 minutes. I did 7 lays for that period. We used Railway bogey wheels as disposable weights (bloody hard work stowing them all outside the BSS arrived just as Leave was piped, lol) We used Time Release Equipment to lay, leaving those wheels all over the Cook Straight.. We only had one not return and the hard hats and wire rope were found on Rarangi Beach near Blenheim. An investigation determined the current meter stripped a thread. It was never recovered.
I went to Sydney (HMAS Penguin) with eyes wide open. At this stage I should mention the week before we (Me and Rocket Revell) shipped out, the dollar dropped from 76 cents in the dollar to 56. Gutted as spending on having a good time was severely limited. Up stepped Revs, my banker (cheers mate). Our course was 5 months of joy. Like John Stoakes lead, we partied hard and studied hard.
Our normal week was this. Monday through Thursday was tuition. Thursday night was Cider Run in Bevvies, a wine bar in Mossman until 3am (drinking copious amounts of Cider). We'd then buy a bottle of Port each and go back to the accommodation and skull them until 0730 (we lived on the top floor with submariners in the WRANS Block. No shortage of fun). We'd then get into our PT gear and play touch footy on the beach nearby. Back into the classroom and tuition until 1300 (the time all Navy bases in Sydney closed for business to allow the RA crowd a chance to get home for the weekend.) Friday afternoon was sleep time.
Saturday morning (around 0800) A senior sailor Drog - POSR Cocky Roach (coxn of the Submarine Base) would pick us up (Myself, Sadie Rait, Scotty Roberts, Revs, Soco Veikyaki (Fiji) ) and take us to the Wooloomooloo in the Rocks and we'd party hard until very late in the night. Sunday was dedicated to homework.
One weekend our course Warrant Drog Shotgun Slade invited us to his bach in Jervis Bay for an all weekend party. From a (very scratchy) memory we had about 14 2 and a 4's with us and snotted the lot. Me, Sadie, Scotty and Soco had very little sleep.
Anyway what else happened. Oh yeah, The Ghost in Sydney!! When she berthed in Garden Island a new box of drogs was opened. SAG, Surfie, Sting, Wacky to name a few. Drog run starting 0800 Saturday until Sunday night) One of the WRANS was a very very excellent dungy runner (Anne Maree Lonergan) as Surfie found out.
Sadly I missed being top of the course by 0.5% (to Sadie). Oh and I was headhunted to do LADS operations. I liked being asked but declined saying I was a sailor not an aviator.
My next effort I have already blogged and is here.
Kavachi (click here)
I would really appreciate the excellent tuition of the new survey system by Corrie Donz Donselaar (H School at Tamaki) allowing me to process the Kavachi data in good format and good time.
1993 I posted to Philomel to work in the MCM Office as a CPOAHS from my stint on Tui as Coxn. I was totally unaware of the operation but not long after posting the work LtCdr Siew Wah Mak had been instrumental in (identifying and purchasing the new MCM equipment.) came into being. My OIC (another great leader the Diving Officer Lt Nick Quinn) tasked me and CPODVR Jack Tomoana were tasked to fit the MCM Office, the IPC's and the planning and purchasing of a container for MCM Ops (primarily on Manawanui but barge capable.) To be fair it was a daunting task but one I thrived in.
The biggest gripe we had was from Officers of the RNZNVR IPC's having lost 800mm of their wardroom for the MCM suite to fit in the Engineers Office.. But also to be fair, the VR were very receptive to their new role.
I should also add going with LtCdr Blair Cliffe (then MCMO) to Foveaux Strait on HMNZS Moa (crewed by trained VR MCM staff) to successfully find and recover the Cessna that crashed in the strait (1998). Kudos to VR CPO Lloyd Cron for his great work on the sonar.
I absolutely loved my time in MCM (9 years all told) and we had great crews posting to MCM as well. If there was one down side it was not recovering Ben Smart and Olivia Hope by the entrance to Tory Channel. Admin, writing Instruction Manuals,planning, training, monitoring and working up VR crews was an absolute pleasure.
Thank you for reading, now ad your tales!!
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