OCTober 1965
October 1966
13TH INTAKE
BRUCE HATHAWAY No R95116
HMAS LEEUWIN MARKS 13TH INTAKE 1965-1966
GUNNERY BRANCH – FIRE CONTROL
Joined from Melbourne lives in Melbourne
Currently retired Electrical Engineer
TIME IN NAVY 1965 to 1974
Why I joined the navy is a mystery to me, I was in 4th form at South Melbourne Tech, was doing ok, by no means a top student, sort of upper middle of the pack. When I was fifteen I joined TS Melbourne as a sea cadet that was situated on Albert Park Lake. I came home one day and told my parents I wanted to join the navy, we lived in Graham St Port Melbourne, across the street from HMAS Lonsdale. I remember going to the navy recruiting office in the city and applying, then sitting the tests and being accepted. My first taste of the navy was standing on platform No 1 at Spencer Street railway station with my family ready to board the train to go to Perth and HMAS Leeuwin as a 16 year old. The Vic boys were shunted into a room on the platform where we all took the oath and then onto the train full of the boys from Queensland and NSW.
My time at Leeuwin did not have that many funny events that I remember, I was a quiet achiever, about the funniest event happened while I was under punishment, 30 days No nines, which was extra work, 30 days No 10’s no leave and 14 days No 14’s stoppage of pay. I was summoned to the gangway and told I was to go across to Garden Island for the weekend as the cook for a party of JR’s (Junior Recruits). Never having cooked in my sixteen years of life, I was sent to the galley for half a day’s instruction of how to cook, first off I was shown how to cook eggs, I learnt the most important thing about cooking eggs was to cover the eggs with plenty of fat and also how to boil water. I must have been okay because I came back alive.
First draft 1966/67 HMAS Sydney, drank beer for the first time in Hobart, had three beers and blacked out, came to wrapped around a light pole near the ship, yelling to two birds I wanted to get to know them really well (sanitised version). Never drank beer after that, drank mostly Bacardi rum and coke.
I did not smoke but my father did, we could get cigarettes duty free, in 1967 a packet cost twenty cents, because they were cheap we could only take 30 cigarettes ashore each night. While the ship was in harbour I took a small kit bag ashore with three or four packets of cigarettes. These I would take to Johnnies, a place in Sydney where sailors could stay to sleep and drink. I hired a locker and stashed them there, this particular day I took a few packets in my kitbag, a dockie copper at the front gate stopped me and searched my bag and of course found my stash of cigarettes. I was taken back on board and placed under arrest and the next day taken before the captain for punishment. The outcome was I was given 5 days in the brig, I had to stand before my comrades with my cap off and the charge read out and then taken to the brig and locked in. It was about six feet wide and all it had in it was a bunk and nothing else, I had to be let out to go to the heads (toilet) and then straight back.
Unfortunately the next day the Sydney sailed out through the Sydney heads, the problem was the brig was in the bow of the ship and when we got outside the heads it was rough as guts. Being confined in a very small space, with the bow going up and down and side to side, was not conducive to keeping your food down. Needless to say I was violently sick, they did allow me to have a bucket though, very nice of them wasn’t it!
First trip to Vietnam 1967, was detailed cafeteria party, because we had six hundred soldiers on board plus six hundred sailors, every meal had three sittings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That meant we had to wash each plate and bowl and cutlery at least nine times a day, usually it was more than that as we only had a finite number of crockery. After the first week sailing to Vietnam we got tired of washing dishes so many times, being smart arses, we washed one plate and threw one plate out the scuttle (porthole to landlubbers) until we realised the less dishes we had the more we had to wash the others, so we stopped throwing them out the scuttle.
The Sydney went to Singapore for some R&R after dropping the army off in Vietnam, a mate, won’t name him as I don’t want to embarrass him and I took a taxi, the driver said for a few extra dollars he’d take us to see a “blue movie”. It was a drive through the back streets of Singapore, to an old colonial house that was boarded up. We were taken to a very dark room with long stools, we both thought we were going to get our throats cut!
Second draft HMAS Duchess 1968/70, 1968 first trip up top for a 6 month tour as part of SEATO, that’s South East Asia Treaty Organisation, was closed up at action stations for a drill, it was a rough sea, was feeling seasick. Couldn’t leave my action station, it got to the stage it was either be sick all over everyone or bolt for the heads.
I bolted, down two flights of steps and just before reaching the heads, I was sick all over the place and had to clean it up of course.
In Japan, a lot of the crew ended up at a bar, had the longest bar I’ve ever seen, went on for about a year LOL. The management brought out a stripper, she was surrounded by a circle of Aussie sailors sitting on the dance floor, eagerly watching. The finale was her kneeling on the floor backwards, her legs wide open. Suddenly from the circle a sailor dashed out and buried his head between her legs, he was a three badge leading seaman. The woman screamed bloody murder, her minders rushed in and pulled the sailor violently away.
And that’s when the fight started!
In Hong Kong 1970, second trip up top, went drinking with some mates, drank too much and blacked out again, don’t remember anything until I woke up in the morning lashed in my hammock stuffed under a table. This was related to me afterwards, my mates being kind souls that they were, bundled me in a rickshaw and told the driver to take me back to the ship alongside at HMS TAMAR. I crawled across the gangway, lost my cap, my mate who was the quartermaster on the gangway said I wanted to kiss him and the officer of the day good night, he wouldn’t let me. In the messdeck I couldn’t sling my hammock as I was far too drunk, those there did it for me and then lifted me up into hammock. To ensure I didn’t fall out, they lashed me in the hammock. By this time I was regaling them with some not very acoustically minded singing, they got sick of that so unlashed my hammock and stuffed me under a table.
The next morning I woke up without a hangover, and immediately scrubbed out the messdeck as punishment for my off key singing.
I took my inebriation and not having drowned getting back to the ship in the blotto shape I was in, as a sign from God that SHE wanted me to stop drinking, which I did and have been wowser ever since!
On the Duchess we ate in our messes where we lived, while you ate your meal from the galley, other sailors were doing other things. One sailor, the one that was with me in Singapore in 1967, had come back from the showers and was naked, no big thing we all did it. Now the tables in the mess were in front of our lockers, while some were eating breakfast, this bold sailor began to hit his willy on the table, trying to put one sailor off his meal. Without missing a beat, the sailor eating his breakfast, with the flat of his knife, calmly whacked the fellow’s willy hard and then kept on eating his breakfast, using said knife. You could hear the yelp of pain all over the ship, needless to say the bold sailor never did that again.
1973 my fourth draft was HMAS Swan refitting in Williamstown dockyard, I was the quartermaster the whole time I was on board for about six months. One night about 2 a.m. decided to walk along the wharf to check everything was okay, it was a cold, still morning and misty. Everything looked eerie in the mist, the sort of scenario that lets your mind think of nasty things moving about in the mist. As I walked passed a water hose that was connected to the ship, it suddenly burst and sounded like a shot from a gun, I jumped so high, I landed ten yards down the wharf running for my life. Talk about needing clean underwear, it scared the crap out of me.
On another watch it was about 0630 in the morning, decided to do the rounds within the ship, walking down the passageway aft, I noticed a few sailors outside the showers looking in. When I walked up I pushed my way through and saw a naked woman, (this was way before women sailors onboard ship) having a shower. They were all perving at her.
How long she had been onboard I had no idea, how she got onboard was also unknown, I could guess what she was doing onboard though. I immediately told them to get her off the ship and continued on doing my rounds, shaking my head. Bloody sailors you couldn’t trust them as far as you could throw them! As I was walking to the gangway from the front of the ship, I saw her walking to the gangway from the other direction, if I had kept walking we would have got there at the same time. I just turned around and walked the other way until she left.
On the Swan the gangway staff did twelve hour shifts, when a shift was over we could go ashore as we had no other duties. As I lived in Melbourne I went home, now as I was a watch keeper I had a lot of time off. So I had a bright idea to get some extra cash, I would drive a yellow cab taxi during my time ashore. It was illegal to have a second job, but what the hell, what the navy did not know wouldn’t hurt them. Now I had no training, I just thought you picked up a fare and drove them to where they wanted to go. One time I picked up a very pregnant woman and her husband who wanted to go to the Royal Woman’s Hospital, there was only one problem, I didn’t have a clue where the hospital was. I ended up taking them to another hospital, to say they were upset was an understatement.
They had to direct me to the hospital, I didn’t charge them the fare.
About a week later I was sitting in the cab at a taxi rank in the city, I forgot to put the hand brake on and the bloody car rolled forward and hit the cab in front. To say the other cabbie was upset was another understatement.
It was then I gave up the thought of earning extra pocket money and went back to being a full time sailor.
In 1974 after the refit the Swan sailed to Sydney and that’s when I paid off and came back to Melbourne a couple of days later. Why the navy didn’t let me pay off while the ship was in Melbourne just goes to show you the bureaucratic mind is beyond comprehension.
From 1974 to 1998 my time in the navy never meant anything to me, until we started to have reunions for those lads that joined up in 1965. Now it means a great deal to me, I have great friendships that were never there in Leeuwin and those boys are great mates and I treasure their friendships (Do I get any tears for saying that LOL).
Before I paid off the Navy I was in a conundrum, what was I going to do for a job once I was on the outside? Being a gunnery sailor, I wasn’t particularly qualified to do anything but sweep gutters. I thought hard and long on the subject, then I had an epiphany or it might just have been indigestion, I’m not sure. My mate Baden was an Electrical Engineer so I thought I would go into that field myself. Now because I was being discharged from the Navy, the government in their wisdom had said they would retrain any serviceman to get a job on the outside. So I thought I would do a Certificate of Electrical Engineering but when I went to enrol at RMIT I was hit with a bombshell.
I was told that to do that Certificate I had to have my Leaving Certificate (Form 5). As I had left in Form 4 to join the navy I didn’t have it. So instead of doing engineering I decided I would do my Form 5 Certificate first.
The only problem was where the hell was I going to do it, I couldn’t go back to high school for God’s sake I was 24 years old. I searched around and found a privately run school in the city. So I enrolled and was accepted and passed with flying colours.
In 1975 armed with my Leaving Certificate I went to enrol at RMIT to do my Electrical Engineering course. When I enrolled the person looked at me and asked how old I was and then said.
“You’re an adult student you don’t need your Leaving Certificate to do this course.”
You could have bowled me over with a tram ticket, what could I do but swear under my breath and enrol.
It was a 2 year course and at the end I joined SECV in 1976 as an electrical operator working in the big terminal stations operating all the equipment therein. It was while I was there I applied for a position in the state control room that was responsible for the whole Victorian power system. The position was for an electrical engineer and they would put you through uni full time, on full pay, to get your degree, and so in 1985 at the age of 36 I graduated as an electrical engineer.
In the meantime I married the love of my life Elaine in 1979 and we have two great kids, in 1984 Andrew and in 1986 Allison, Andrew is married and has two apple of my eye children, Austin and Jaimee a girl.
In 1990 we went to visit my sister who lives in Johannesburg South Africa, while there they took us to Kruger National Park where you could see all the wild animals. My BIL had their and our kids in one car and my sister drove us in another car, they were in front of us. We had just seen two lionesses stalking a herd of Impala’s, we drove off and about a kilometre down the road we came around a bend in the road. We saw the other car stopped on the side of the road and my son was outside the car having a pee. Well Elaine and I went apeshit, yelling at him to get back in the car, Jesus we had just seen two lions stalking their lunch, a few hundred yards back. My sister couldn’t understand why we went off the deep end.
On the way back to OZ we had just taken off from Mauritius airport when the 747 blew an engine, for an hour we circled Mauritius dumping fuel over the sugar cane fields before making an emergency landing. It was then I was hoping once more that God in HER mercy would get us through. She did or else I’d be here writing this as a dead man!
Now I’m happily retired and am my wife’s carer since 1996, we live in a retirement village and love caravanning in a van that is fitted out for a disabled person. We love going on cruises pre Covid-19 and would love to go back to England again for a long holiday, we’ve been there twice before. Because we can’t use buses or trains, means we have to drive when we go overseas. I won’t drive on the right side of the road because I’m sure we’d end up as a hood ornament on some truck. That’s why we love Great Britain, we can drive on the left side and because of its history there is a lot to see.
So that’s it in a nut shell, it’s been a great odyssey and I hope there’s a lot more to come.
Bruce (Candy) Hathaway
A post script:- how I got the nickname Candy
When we got to HMAS Leeuwin we started to get nicknames, most sailors have one. In the early 60’s there was a TV show called The Hathaway’s (get the connection). It was about 3 monkeys called Enoch, Charlie and Candy, you guessed it, I got all three nick names. The worst thing you can do in the navy is fight against being given a nick name, I tried to fight it. Well one smart individual, I won’t name Edward Giuliani who reckons he was the culprit, kept calling me Candy and to this day it has stuck. Now I wear the nick name with pride, most of the Marks lads know me as Candy and wouldn’t know my first name.
My name is Selwyn Hannant, Chief Petty Officer Radar Plot, October 1965 – October 1986 and this is my story.
It all started midyear 1965, when I sent an application into Defence Brisbane to join the Navy. Received the telegram a few weeks later saying I had to go to Brisbane for a medical, physic test, education level test, and an interview with some Naval dude. It all went well, so on the next train back to Hervey Bay. It was no mean feat travelling overnight both ways from Maryborough to Brisbane. Back to school next day at Hervey Bay High doing Year 10. A second telegram arrived a few weeks later saying I needed to go to Brisbane. They wanted to check if I had any tonsils. So off to Brisbane I went again. It was at that moment I realised then that this crowd weren’t that smart, but who am I to ask questions.
With all this done I left Maryborough at 2306 on the 7th October 1965 to travel to Brisbane by train to join The Royal Australian Navy. On the 8th October 1965 I signed on the dotted line for a 12 year stint. Then on the train again this time from Brisbane to Perth via Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Port Pirie, Kalgoorlie and finally arriving in Perth 7 days later.
This is when all the fun really began. Housed at HMAS Leeuwin on the banks of the Swan River, Fremantle for 12months of sheer hell for some but fun for others.
After Leeuwin I went to HMAS Sydney for 12months. This posting included 2 trips to Vung Tau, Vietnam and my first overseas port visit Singapore at the ripe old age of 17. A good time was had by all.
During the next 18 years I served in the following Ships and establishments. Signed the dotted line again in October 1977 for another 8 years to complete my 20. The best years ever.
Service history –
October 1965 -October 1966 HMAS Leeuwin
October 1966- June 1967 HMAS Sydney
June 1967 - Dec 1967 HMAS Watson (Basic radar Plotters Course)
Jan 1968 - June 1970 HMAS Duchess
June 1970 - December 1971 HMAS Harman (Canberra)
December 1971 - April 1972 HMAS Derwent
April 1972 - December 1973 HMAS Vampire
January 1974 - December 1974 HMAS Harman
December 1974 - January 1978 HMAS Melbourne
January 1978 - August 1978 HMAS Watson/Cerberus. (Advanced Radar Plotters Course)
August 1978 - December 1978 HMAS Melbourne
January 1979 - June 1980 HMAS Harman
June 1980 - December 1982 HMAS Melbourne
December 1982 - October 1985 HMAS Harman (last posting after 20 years of service.
I can say, I was very lucky as a Radar Plotter to have had 4 postings to Harman in Canberra and only going to Watson (home of Radar Plotters) for my Basic and Advanced Radar Course and Pre workup training with ships that I was serving in, playing rugby league also helped.
Many great times were had and some very funny ones as well. The first one I recall when we were at Leeuwin. We were aged between 15 & 17 we were not allowed to drink any alcohol. Desperate times called for desperate measures!! To get grog onto the base someone would have do the “grog run”. Simply, this meant jumping the fence, sneaking up to the local pub, handing over the list and money to the bar tender then heading back to base and jumping back over the fence without being caught. Sounds easy to most people, UNLESS you’re with Dennis Richardson. As we got near the fence the Naval Patrol were doing their rounds and Dennis was caught on the fence. I was hiding behind a tree and unseen by the patrol thinking “I’m ok” if I stay here. But alas, my good friend Dennis yells out “come out Bodge, they have got us”. They didn’t even know I was there! Punishment, 14 days number 9 (Extra duties morning, noon and night and at 1630 run around the parade ground for 90mins carrying a 303 rifle) and14 days stoppage of leave(unable to leave the depot and go ashore). Thanks Dennis.
Dennis would star in another great event, also with grog. Once a month the ASCO truck would come from Sydney to Harman to deliver Grog and goods for the canteen. They would park their semi outside the Junior Sailors Social Club overnight. This is when we struck! A car would back up to the semi and would you believe it a keg would fall of the tray and just happen to land in the boot. The said car would deliver the keg to an unknown house in the married quarters where a BBQ and piss up would take place a few days later. They never missed any of those kegs.
Postie on Melbourne
One of the highlights of my time in the RAN was the 1977 trips on the Melbourne. Firstly, we went to San Diego USA to pick up replacement aircraft, as a very pissed off sailor had burnt down the hanger in Nowra, ruining a few planes.
The second trip was to the Queens Silver Jubilee in England. A trip that lasted for 8 months. 10 months of 1977 were spent out of Australia.
On the UK trip I was the ship’s postie and boy didn’t I have a lot of new friends. But when the mail came on board not everyone was happy. A certain hairy arsed stoker saw me ashore in Gibraltar one day, came up to me and asked if I was the ships postie. I replied “yes,” big mistake! With that he proceeded to give me a right punch to the nose. Back to Sick Bay with a broken nose. Apparently, he hadn’t received any mail from his girlfriend. Yes, it was my fault.
Whilst in Naples the mail officer and I went looking for 58 bags of mail which had mysteriously disappeared. Off to the local train station we went when we established (from the Station Master) that one of his workers had a relative living in Melbourne. He had apparently sent it all back to Melbourne, not knowing that the ship docked in port was named “Melbourne.” Needless to say the troops were not happy. Poor guy he thought he was doing the right thing.
Rugby Union
Playing Rugby League in the RAN came with its benefits. Myself and 4 others go play rugby union in Sydney on Wednesdays then drive to Canberra Wednesday afternoons so we could play rugby league on the weekends.
Boy aren’t those Rah Rah boys a bit touchy. I got penalised one day playing against Albatross in Sydney. Playing at five eight, I hit my opposite number with a good tackle (he was the current Navy five eight) An over vigorous tackle I might add. The one thing I learnt from playing Union was somehow, they thought it was a good idea to tackle all the time. Every time we got the ball some clown would kick it back to the opposition. We never understood that. And as they said “if in doubt kick it out.” I thought the idea was to keep the ball, score tries and win.
I remember one trip up top on Melbourne we were playing the Kiwi’s in Singapore, showing of my football talent got the ball raced of dived over the line to score but this is where all the Rah Rah boys went right of, I had dived over the 25 meter line, NO TRY. Scored a real one just after to redeem myself.
In 1978 I was promoted to PORP (Petty Officer Radar Plotter) I was at Watson doing some PWT (Pre Work up Training) with the Melbourne crew. The Radar School WORP (Warrant Officer Radar Plotter) Ivan Bignol said “he was going to get me posted to Watson as an instructor.” Little did he know I was heading back to Harman for my 3rd stint in January 1979. We had a bet, 12 months wages as he was pretty sure he could swing it. Rugby league was the winner again and I’m stilling waiting for the money
Working for Captain Adrian Cummings in Manpower Russell Offices
One of the best jobs I had was working as Captain Adrian Cummings “fixit” PO A man to be fear by all. The shear mention of his name was enough to have you trembling in your boots. We would be doing a project in manpower, he would ring around Russell Offices, tell them that he needed their data and that I was on the way to collect it. Boy did he have that place jumping. No one wanted PORP Hannant knocking on their door.
20 years down and would do it all again. Met so many people, made so many friends, trips up top, playing sport and just enjoying life.
That was just a few of the many stories of my time in the Royal Australian Navy.
Name Edward Robert "Giuli" Giuliani, born Naples Italy 1949 on the 30th June but celebrate my birthday on the 15July, a long story for another time..
- [ ] 1.Where do I begin.
◦ It all started in Carlton a suburb of Melbourne in Victoria, where I got the bright idea to run away from home and join the Navy, in actual fact a taxi took me to Spencer St., station While my mum and dad hurried me out of the house. But as a Junior Recruit in HMAS LEEUWIN in Fremantle WA is where I ended up. I guess I should mention how I came to get stuck with the moniker of "Giuli" or "Big Giuli". In 1965 there was a pair of Canadian Comedians called Wayne and Schewster with an album called "Rinse the blood off my Toga" a funny sketch about the demise of Julius Caesar, the story goes that Caesar's wife warns him not to go to the Senate that day, because the ( Ides of March) are upon you, so she says to him " Giuli don't go Big Giuli , don't go " but would he listen and you know the rest. So when I was being Issued my Nickname a smartass young Victorian, later to be known as (Mohawk) yelled out " Big Giuli don't go"!!
- [ ] Now there was nothing Hillarious about that place HMAS Leeuwin , although a couple of funny things did happen. One was my close call with punishment for skulking PT. Every morning, rain, hail, or just darkness we would muster down on the "Bull ring" (parade ground), 600 shivering souls freezing to death all missing mummy and their warm beds . Well bugger that for a joke, I says to myself ( I'm already picking up the Jack-Tar lingo) I'm skulking this morning, so I devised a plan, which was to hide in the toilet till the end of PT and if any authority came in and asked me why I wasn't at PT, I would inform him that I have diarrhoea sir, brilliant. So off I go to the heads " more sailor talk "and chose the second last stall, well not too long later I started hearing more cubicle doors shutting the place was filling up fast, lazy bastards. Inevitably the duty PTI in charge of finding skulkers came in and started banging on the cubicle doors, who's in there?, JR Jones sir, why aren't you on the parade ground? , diarrhoea sir " Shit!! that's my excuse" now what?, next cubicle, same questions, same answers, JR Smith, sir, diarrhoea sir, Shit,Shit,Shit and so on down the line he came getting closer and closer to me , think think Giuliani, Ahh eureka, quick, open the door a little and hang on the frame of the door and the coat hook, genius and it was too, the PO PTI saw that the door was open thought the cubicle empty and knocked on the next cubicle. Shit, that was close!!!
- [ ] 2. Of course there is the Hillarious time that I observed the looks of Horror, Relief, Jubilation and Hate on Mohawk Elliott's and Taffy Williams's face when I finally let them out of that " hot water pipe, wall cavity" that they were hiding in, while Skulking PT, I was only 2 hours late. Not so much as a thank you. But I'll let Mohawk recount that funny episode...
- [ ] 3. This ditty happened in HMAS Derwent, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, It was Sunday morning and our Captain decided that we, the ships company were in need of some Heavenly Salvation, so he signals the Captain of HMAS Supply to send over their Chaplain by Jackstay Transfer ( What could go wrong) , so Derwent comes to station along side Supply on the Starboard side and the Jackstay is passed across, we the Derwent, being the junior ship supply the paraphernalia for this exercie. So the Jackstay party is closed up and are swinging on the jackstay holding it tight (again what could go wrong) on the other ship the Chaplain is secured into the harness that will carry him swiftly and gently to us ( Really What could go wrong). It was a sunny Sunday, smooth glassy sea but quite a largish rolling swell , about ten or twelve ft. high. Both ships were dipping by the bow into the waves quite heavily, the signal is sent that the transfer is about to begin, jackstay party hawl tight the jackstay , the padre is lifted into the air, clear of Supply's guardrails and is hawled across towards us. (What could go wrong) well I'll tell you, the two ships came together in the heavy sea (did I say that the waves were 10-12 ft. high) I might have underestimated by 5-7 ft. Oops, so in goes the padre getting dragged through the ocean, " looking like a porpoise" (Heave to) bellows the petty Officer, the jackstay is pulled taught , at the same time the two ships roll apart sending the doomed Chaplain flying into the air and around the jackstay rope. Slack off the jackstay bellows the Petty Officer in a panicked voice, so we did - you guessed it, the ships rolled back together and again the Chaplain is deposited back into the water getting dragged like a Gunnery target, Heave to is the cry and up went the poor bastard again, around the jackstay again. Well this went on for a few rotations, finally when the higher ups managed to get us to stop pissing ourselves with laughter and get the jackstay block pulling lines untangled, we hawled him onto the Derwent, the last thing we heard of him, he was Screaming Bloody blue murder, things like " Get me off this F$&@ing Thing" and "I'm not going back on that f&@$ing bastard " ever again, not the most Padrely language, I wonder how many " Our Fathers and Hail Mary's" he had to recite for his Penance. He was transferred back to Supply by Helicopter, never did get that " Heavenly Salvation from on High"..Oh by the way Steve "Sticks"Tanner was in HMAS Supply on that occasion and on the other end of the jackstay (now what could go wrong), but seeing this is in Alphabetical order I get to tell the story first, Sorry Sticks..
⁃ [ ] 4. Now this is a story of when I was Posted to HMAS Lonsdale a great draft, anyway one job I was given was in the Naval Police section, we had our headquarters, Cells and accommodation in the new Gangway building. Now I didn't have much to do while we waited for them to finish the new cells, offices and sleeping quarters, so I decided to have a bit of a squizz and check out the Padded Cell, I opened the door looked around and thought to myself I wonder what it would feel like to be locked in a padded cell, you guessed by now, I walked in and swung the door shut, " note to self", they don't have door handles on the inside of cells never mind a "Padded Cell. I've got to tell you they are really sound proof. I yelled and cursed and yelled some more but to no avail, Christ I hope someone comes in here and finds me soon, nope no one, two hours I was locked up feeling dejected and missing my mummy, finally a dockyard copper looked through the peep hole and let me out, but not before he called everyone looking for me and had a nice time taking the piss at my expense. To add insult to injury the Coxswain wanted to charge me with being "Absent from my place of duty" but I managed to convince them that I was in the building so therefore literally at my place of duty.. How do I get away with this stuff, clean living I guess...
⁃ [ ] 5. It was an interesting job in the Naval Police, the watch keeping was 24 hrs. on 48 hrs. off so you had plenty of time to get yourself into a lot of trouble, but Why waste your off time getting into trouble when you have 24 perfectly good hrs. whilst on duty. So this certain weekend duty my driver (Kerry) and I went and did our rounds of the local sailors haunts around Melbourne, making sure that everything was tikkityboo, showing the flag, so to speak. The routine was that you would enter the premises and before your presence caused a riot the duty manager or owner would whisk the both of us away to his office and assure us that all was well with the world. Sometimes, well always they would give us a couple of free beverages and a steak or two, I have to tell you that there are lot of Sailors drinking establishments in those days, well you can see to what I'm eluding to, Kerry and I got pissed, very very pissed, anywho somehow and to this day I don't know how, we managed to get back to HMAS Lonsdale and our warm beds. Sunday morning I woke up had a tubs, made myself a brew and went out to enjoy the morning, I felt pretty good, no hangover no headache ( That was to come) all's good with the... I wonder where the Divvy Van 910 is, Ahh maybe Kerry took it to by the Sunday newspaper, so back inside I go and happen to look into the able seaman drivers dormitory and there is "Kerry" fast asleep and not driving the van to get the papers. Wake up Wake up, Where's 910, I must explain this number, it was a designated call sign given by Police headquarters we had two units VKC910 and VKC911. And VKC910 wasn't there. I don't know said Kerry don't you know, you were with me. (Bastard made sure to remind me who was going to Holsworthy for this and he wasn't going alone). Think think Giuliani you've been in worse trouble than this, no no I haven't.
⁃ So began the great Divvy van hunt of 1971, I called police headquarters to be on the lookout for our van and if you find it could you please not Broadcast it to the powers to be, Kerry and I took the other van and drove around to everywhere that we thought we had been to, nothing not a sausage. Late Sunday afternoon and now I'm in a complete panick, wrang the Coppers, no nothing yet, ok it's time to write out my report, that somehow I've managed to lose a whole divvy van, Oh the embarrassment,Oh the jail time. I was typing away my confession, when the phone rang, it was the Coppers, they'd found the van behind a Tavern in Bourke St., ( man am I glad that I'm a slow typer ) we jumped in 911 and went to retreave it. What had happened was that we parked the vehicle behind the tavern in the alley, being sneaky, so that it was out of sight, but during the course of the night the barmen restocking the fridges had been throwing the empty cartons in the lane, all over the van hiding it from view ( I think that they did it on purpose but I couldn't prove it) and when they started squashing the cartons to bag them sunday evening, they found our vehicle. Happy little sailors that we were, we promised to never do that again. So back to the typewriter I went ripped out my confession "uhm" ( report) and proceeded to tell the Provost Marshall that all was quiet on the western front, quite boring actually. Not long after that I joined HMAS Yarra and seatime, where you can keep out of trouble, it's much too dangerous ashore...Or so I thought...
⁃ [ ] 6 On joining HMAS Yarra I was such a lovable bloke that I was given ( ordered ) the task of QM, a much sought after position,(Not) of course being so lovable one tends to make wonderfully good and Loyal Friends, or so you hope, but instead they turn out to be shifty piss taking, but (lovable) bastards.
⁃ One such incident of Bastardry occurred when I was due to start my watch as Quarter Master begining at 1600 hrs. now this day also happened to be an Open Day for family and friends to come aboard and see how and where their wonderful dear sons live and work, also to meet their friends and colleagues , it was a glorious day, a Sunday, so being a conscientious Leading Seaman I prepared to take over my duty on the gangway early so as to give my fellow QM a break from an arduous day of smiling and answering questions, such as ( can I blow your whistle?), I did say that I am lovable.
Well anyway off I go to the showers to have a dohbey and get into my blues to take up my duties, (have to look spiffy) for the young sisters of my wonderful shipmates going ashore,you never know your luck, do you. So back to the Treachery, I finished the shower and went to get my towel to dry myself and get dressed, only to find that some wrotten son of a dung beetle had taken everything including my towel and pissed off with them. F&$k,f$&k and f$&k bloody mongrel bastard ( but lovable) mates they are, I open the door and poke my head out, mate, mate, listen mate can you go down to my mess and " piss off Giuli and get them yourself " dirty rotten mongrel, here's another one coming, Hey mate listen," f$&k off Giules I'm busy" Shit, Shit Shit, nothing else for it, I'll have to run the gauntlet of shocked family open day visitors, but first I'll take down the shower curtain and wrap it around, son of a bitch, it's transparent, no matter here I go, if I find out who the dirty rotten (but lovable) so and so's are, I'll have them scrubbing the mess deck for a week. Ok here I go open the door, start running, I can hear whistling and laughter " two bloody weeks" down the hatch to 3 papa flat, open the door to my mess deck and roar at the top of my lungs, and I quote " Who's the Dirty Rotten C$&@ that stole my " and there in front of me is Mum, Dad, Grandma and the sweet little blond haired sister of one of the new Ordinary Seaman who had just drafted in. Oh by the way did I mention that the shower curtain was transparent ...
⁃ Really how do I get away with this
⁃ Now it's 2020 in writing these chapters , married to a wonderful lady " Althea, two beautiful young children Lori and Erin whom we are very proud of and love dearly, a German Shepherd dog Cara, that thinks she's one of the kids and to tell the truth she is. It has been a long journey from 10/10/1965 to now,but I wouldn't have missed those years of ups and downs, of humour and fear and of the Great and Loyal Friends that I've made and still have...
Thanks, and
Cheers, Big GIULI..
Ron Hunter..Commander .. born Pemberton in the South West of Western Australia .. currently single (well this week anyway). Raised in Perth WA
I served 22 years and had a lot of experiences but in the interest of brevity and keeping in mind the humour theme I have selected the following as being particularly memorable in my career. For those who thought Officers were’ protected’ from a kick in the arse believe me we had more than our share.
Why I became a Topman
Like all of you I joined Leeuwin as a fresh-faced Junior Recruit Two second class. Although I had many a fantasy, I had never done…well you know what. I had a very unremarkable education and was destined to fail Year 9 so I left school to join the Navy.
I had no idea what the difference between each of the Marks classes were, but I was aware I was in a smaller class so maybe I needed extra attention.
Around March 1966 the lure of the uniform finally worked and I scored my first ‘hit’…the girl from virtually next door who was a gymnast with a wonderful enchanting body. More importantly her mother said to her in front of me ‘if you get pregnant don’t blame Ron’. I really thought I was in heaven but playing in the back of mind all the time was the fact that our time in WA was not infinite and later that year I would be heading East into unchartered waters.
In April 1966 Lieutenant Commander Uksi came into our class and simply asked ‘who would like to become an officer?’ I asked what that meant and amongst other things he said you have to stay at Leeuwin an extra 18 months to top up your education. My groin swelled and my hand shot in the air and so started a rather arduous process to gain a Commission. As a footnote at age 21 I married the lady in question and so begun one of the most disastrous periods of my life.
HMAS Sydney Midshipman Landing Craft Training
Most of us enjoyed a stint on the Vung Tau ferry and as a young Midshipman it was an invaluable opportunity to develop the navigation and seamanship skills I required to further my career. Some may have noticed it was the Midshipmen who coxswained the Landing Craft that landed many of the troops and equipment and I certainly had many opportunities to do so. However our training started long before we left for Vietnam and I recall my first ever ‘serious’ kick in the arse from Captain ‘Nobby’ Clarke who took us on many of those voyages into unknown waters.
HMAS Sydney was berthed at Cockatoo Island undergoing a brief maintenance period before one such voyage and the Midshipmen and the LCM6 ‘s were used to ferry personnel to and from Circular Quay. We had a young ordinary seaman to act as bowman and a strict schedule we had to adhere to. That’s all well but it didn’t take into account my mates needs and I was convinced to fit in one extra ‘unauthorized’ trip. I wasn’t going to involve the bowman so my mates ‘let go’ and off we went to Circular Quay. All went well until I returned to the ship, all alone, and found a stiff breeze was blowing off the pontoon which we tied up to. My approach to the pontoon was good but I had to get a spring on so I could idle astern on the outboard engine to lay the landing craft alongside. I thought ‘I can do this’, I put the landing craft alongside, jumped onto the pontoon to grab and secure the rope but unfortunately I had left one engine engaged astern and once on the pontoon the LCM6 moved steadily astern. I missed the rope and the unmanned landing craft started a long slow circle about 200 meters out into Sydney Harbour. Unfortunately for me, Captain Clarke and my Training Officer witnessed the whole event and were able to direct a second crew to undertake a rescue mission. They recovered the landing craft intact but unfortunately my arse was left scattered all over Cockatoo Island and that was the last I got ashore before we returned from Vietnam. Some years later, as a young Lieutenant, I returned to Leeuwin where the newly promoted Commodore Clarke served as both Commanding Officer of HMAS Leeuwin and as the Naval Officer Commanding West Australia and he sought me out and over a beer he assured me it was one of the funniest incidents he had ever witnessed.
HMAS Supply first night watch
Its every young Seaman Officers dream to gain his Captains acceptance by being granted approval to stand a watch as Officer of the Watch on the bridge. In early 1970 whilst serving in HMAS Supply I had completed my Ocean Navigation Certificate when the ship was ordered to sail from Fremantle to take passage south of Tasmania to refuel the USS America Battle Group off the south west coast of New Zealand.
In those days Supply had an open bridge and those standing watches out in the open were issued Duffle coats to ward off the bitter cold that was common in the Southern Ocean.
Having worked hard to complete my Ocean Navigation certificate I was hoping to soon be granted a chance to stand a daytime watch on my own where I could be well supervised by the Captain and Navigation Officer. Normally you spend months only being allowed to stand daytime watches so imagine my delight when half way across the Great Australian Bight the Captain decreed Acting Sub Lieutenant Hunter was to stand the middle as Officer of the Watch. After all what could go wrong, we were 500 nautical miles off the coast and were unlikely to encounter even a seabird never lone another ship.
Full of enthusiasm I arrived 30 minutes early for my watch to acclimatize my eyes for night vision and to ensure I had a thorough handover from one of the Lieutenants who had the First. With binoculars around my neck I dutifully scanned the horizon whilst the young Midshipman who was my assistant OOW carried out the administrative duties required on the bridge. About one hour into the watch I thought boring…this is going to be a long night.
Then it happened…from the starboard lookout I heard ‘Bridge Starboard Lookout bearing green 20 white light close by’ I sprung into action and with binoculars poised I observed a long sliver of white light and I thought ‘oh shit’ it’s a yacht that hadn’t shown on radar and had illuminated its sail to show its position. It appeared close, very close, so I sprang into action. Hard a starboard, stop the engine, Captain to the Bridge and I awaited the inevitable. Within seconds the Captain arrived on the Bridge wearing only his PJ’s and was obviously freezing cold. He bellowed ‘what is it’ and I, panic stricken, blurted out Green 20 , white light , it appears to be a yacht that has illuminated its sail.` It took the Captain a minute or two to adjust his eyes and just as he raised his binoculars up popped a very white slither of the moon.
The Captain cursed me and obviously very peeved about being dragged out of his cabin blurted out ‘get this bloody ship back on course’.
The next day I was the laughing stock of the Wardroom but the Captain wasn’t done me with yet. He ordered me to stand the middle again that night and in his Night Orders he carefully penned… Acting SBLT Hunter I fully expect the moon to rise tonight but if it doesn’t please feel free to call me. The laughter went on for days but to be fair before we arrived back in Sydney he , chucking away, handed me a copy of my Limited Bridge Watching Certificate with advice that Captains prefer to be called too often rather than not at a critical time.
HMAS Melbourne off Hawaii
Having gained my Limited Bridge watchkeeping certificate I was confirmed a Sub Lieutenant and immediately posted to HMAS Melbourne to consolidate my training and progress towards the award of a full Bridge Watching Certificate. Melbourne didn’t enjoy a particularly good reputation and its fair to say bridge watchkeeping was a particularly stressful event. Not only was it an aircraft carrier but we often had embarked the Flag Officer Commanding the Australian Fleet, had the most senior Captain afloat in the RAN and also carried people like the Fleet Navigation Officer, all very senior Officers with a vast array of experience.
With only a limited Bridge Watchkeeping certificate I was initially limited to daytime watches as OOW and doubled up as second OOW during the night. Melbourne deployed to Hawaii later that year to participate in the biannual RIMPAC exercise and eventually I was approved to keep the dog and first watch whilst there were still plenty of mentors awake to keep an eye on me.
The RIMPAC exercise had completed and the night before we were to enter Pearl Harbour the fleet was dispersed into wide sectors to allow a degree of freedom of movement and I was given the last dog as OOW, my first night watch alone on the flagship. All progressed well until just after 1900 the Starboard lookout called out ‘Bridge Starboard lookout, bearing green 30 flashing orange light’. I immediately located the light, took a bearing and asked ops what they had on that bearing. The only thing they had was HMNZS Waikato but it was 30 nautical miles away and they suggested she was maybe conducting helicopter operations. That seemed plausible but as is prudent I took another bearing to ensure it wasn’t on a steady bearing and closing us. Five minutes later the bearing remained unchanged suggesting we were on a collision course with Melbourne having to give way. But the operations room still had no contact closer than Waikato so I directed them to retune their radars but nothing changed. The light seemed to be getting closer so I thought it was time to seek advice and I called the Fleet Navigation Officer (Commander Jim Dickson. A very knowledgeable, likeable and tolerant man). The Fleet Nav arrived on the Bridge and I explained the situation and he didn’t seem too fussed and even suggested we must have exceptionally clear vision. He stayed on the Bridge and as we chatted I observed the contact remained on a steady bearing and the light was definitely getting brighter.
Time to call the Captain who arrived shortly there after and after consulting the Fleet Navigator he also didn’t seem too fussed, agreeing it was probably Waikato on an exceptionally clear night. A few minutes later the Admiral came up from his Bridge (which was located immediately below the Navigational Bridge) and the three Senior Officers immediately began debating the situation. That was all well but despite the seniority of those with me I, as OOW, was still responsible for the safe navigation of the ship.
Suddenly an Aldis signaling light challenged us with the international ‘what ship where bound’. After we identified ourselves as HMAS Melbourne the contact replied ‘figures’ which caused all panic to break out. We realized it was a USN nuclear submarine with only its conning tower showing above the water and it was displaying the locally approved orange flashing light displayed when they are operating in their local exercise waters.
They had right of way and It was too late for us to change course and the submarine obliged by tucking in under our stern.
That was the first time I witnessed an Admiral tear strips off a Captain and he continued his tirade in private on the Flag Bridge. The Fleet Navigator looked at me and we both knew our time would come. Five minutes later the navigator was summoned to the Captains cabin and I have no doubt what transpired there.
My relief arrived on the bridge and after a thorough handover I couldn’t wait to get out of there. However, in the passageway outside the Bridge, the Navigator lay in wait for me. I thought this is it but he was remarkably calm and explained the Captain had directed him to assure me that by calling both him and the Navigator to the Bridge I had done everything I could to resolve the situation. The Navigator wore the ultimate blame because it was his responsibility to know all the local regulations and to ensure the relevant OOW’s were thoroughly briefed.
A very valuable lesson was learnt that reinforced what my Captain on HMAS Supply had told me only months earlier about calling the Captain when in doubt. After all it was their ship. On our return to Sydney I was awarded the last of my celestial navigation certificates and the ultimate reward….a Full Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate.
HMAS Leeuwin Junior Recruit McNamara
In 1973 having completed 5 years at sea I managed to score a shore posting back at our old haunt at Leeuwin. Among other duties I was Divisional Officer to Stevenson Division with 110 new recruits. There is always one recruit who instantly stands out and having been through the ropes myself it was easy to pick out the likely candidate.
Junior Recruit McNamara came from the back blocks of Tasmania and it is fair to say he was wasn’t very worldly when he stepped through the gates at Leeuwin.
His first mistake occurred within minutes of being mustered outside C block on day 1. He picked me out as obviously someone worldly and boldly tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘scuse me mate when do we get something to eat?’. Unfortunately for young McNamara my Divisional Chief (who was a Chief QMG) was standing next to me and immediately started to breath fire. Young McNamara, still in his civies, not only didn’t get to eat but was the first to learn the pleasures of doubling around the parade ground with a Chief Gunnery rate breathing down his neck.
For the next three days McNamara kept a very low profile and I had to admit, although I was expecting the’ I want to go home routine’, I admired his spirit. You can imagine my disappointment when on day 4 I was advised young McNamara was to front the Captain (Commodore Nobby Clark) the next morning. As was normal for the first week the whole intake had been wrapped in cotton wool and I couldn’t imagine what he could possibly of done to bypass the Executive Officers table and be sent straight before the Captain . Down to the Coxswains Office I went to demand an explanation and all they could do , with a grin a mile wide, was hand me a witness statement written by a Docky Copper. Now they had a particular way with the Queens English but the statement read something like this.
‘Where as on or about last Wednesday evening, at approximately 2023 hours, I was conducting a boundry patrol along the fence line behind C Block and Wauhop Park when I felt moisture , later to be identified as emitting from one Junior Recruit McNamara who was urinating over the back steps of his accommodation block. I immediately placed McNamara under arrest and escorted him to the Coxswains Office.’
I sent for McNamara and ensured him I would represent him at his trial and that Naval justice was always fair and just. To say he was crapping himself was beyond belief. Although he had been issued his uniforms he had never had occasion to wear No2’s and it fell on the Divisional Chief to take him through the routine of ironing and preparing his new uniform for his appearance the next morning. McNamara was so completely devastated we had to place a watch on him overnight to ensure he didn’t attempt to self harm.
At 1000 the following morning I marched young McNamara over to the drill hall and up to the Captains Office. The Coxswains were waiting for him but I kept him away from their greedy paws and instructed him on the routine of ‘off caps’ and what was to happen over the next few minutes. When his turn came I marched McNamara inside and stood him ridgley at attention whilst the charges and the Docky Coppers statement were read out. Commodore Clark had a grin from ear to ear and at the appropriate time calmly stated ‘so you pissed on a Docky Copper on your third day in the service’ When asked why McNamaras excuse was simple, back in Tassie they only had an outdoor toilet and they didn’t use it just to have a piss.
Commodore Clark, ever understanding and somewhat bemused, decreed McNamara was to pay for the Docky Coppers dry cleaning and he was to receive special instruction on the use of the head in the RAN.
McNamara was a marked man for months to come so it befell on his divisional staff to nurture and protect him from getting into any more serious trouble. Needless to say, some months later, I was pleased to receive a phone call from his Mum telling me how much her son was enjoying his training. He went onto to pass out in due course and successfully entered the fleet as a Cook.
HMS Fearless alongside at Hamilton Bermuda
In 1978 I was a Lieutenant on exchange service with the Royal Navy and serving onboard HMS Fearless, a Landing Platform Helicopter class of ship. One of the ships peacetime roles was to provide practical navigation and seamanship training to Midshipman who had attended the Royal Navy College at Dartmouth. We had over 60 Midshipman onboard who haled from a myriad of countries from the Arab States, African nations, Asian Countries and of course the United Kingdom.
To maximize their training opportunities, we had a wonderful program basically following the sun and in February 1978 we were cruising the Caribbean and undertaking a port visit to Hamilton in Bermuda.
Like the Royal Australian Navy there was a lot more to port visits than merely offering shore leave to the troops and one of the important functions was a diplomatic role of showing the flag to local dignitaries. This always started with hosting a Cocktail Party on the first night in port (to which it was compulsory for all Officers to attend) and all in sundry who were ‘important ‘ in the community were invited. This was the bane of an Officers life because it not only meant the loss of one nights leave in each port but we had to pay for the privilege. The only advantage was that there was always a smattering of young ladies invited who after the formalities of the evening ended provided an ideal opportunity for further partying.
One of the basic rules was to look after our guests first but on this particular night a particularly attractive young lady in a skimpy tropical outfit attracted my eye and I thought ‘ she’s not getting away from me’ The lady in question was well and truly primed when she arrived onboard and at the Cocktail party on the forecastle consumed Gin and Tonics like they were going out of fashion.
She had spent some years in Sydney and was attracted to an Australian onboard and I thought I’m in like Flynn here. Unfortunately after about an hour some obnoxious so and so approached and started to argue with her. He was obviously the boyfriend and I thought , bugger I’ve just lost a golden opportunity. The argument went on and on in front of everybody and I was caught in the middle. My mood became darker and at some stage she decreed ‘ I’m going to jump overboard’. Being a very fed up Australian I said for fuck sake do it if you want……and she did!!.
There was a loud splash, the world stopped, and everybody looked at me. I didn’t think in a million years she would jump but there she was bobbing up and down about 10 meters below us. The boyfriend looked at me as if I could resolve the situation and I thought stuff you mate this is all your fault.
Our Executive Officer was a gruff old Commander who had a distinct suspicion about Australians behavior. He gave me a filthy look and blurted out ‘man overboard away sea boat’. Now we all know you don’t have a duty sea boat crew in harbour so nothing happened. The Quartermaster who had been perving in the background decided to help and piped ‘woman overboard.’ That spurred some action and the Second Engineer (a Lieutenant Commander) immediately took charge and seconded a number of our foreign Midshipman, all dressed in their long whites (6’s), and managed to get the outboard boat in the water. Their training had not been in vain.
The lady was during hauled from the water and I could feel the Captains and Executive Officers eyes burning holes in the back of my head. The party broke up pretty quickly and I thought ‘Hunter you have done it this time’
I retired out of sight to await my fate and early the next morning presented myself to the Executive Officer who was still very miffed. The lecture about diplomacy and behavior expected of Officers went on and on but eventually he advised me that the Governor of Bermuda who was talking to the Captain at the time, assured him the lady in question had a bad reputation about being theatrical and a drama queen and he should not take it personally. He assured the Captain he would take steps to remove her from the VIP list until she did something about her drinking habits.
Phew I escaped a bullet once again. But it wasn’t finished because at lunch time that day the lady in question turned up at the ship asking for me stating she would like to apologize. Over the phone I gave very strict instructions to the Officer of the Watch ( yes on big ships in the Royal Navy the gangway staff consisted of an OOW, Duty Midshipman, Duty Chief or Petty Officer, a duty Royal Marine and then the Quartermaster and Bosun’s Mate) that she was not to be allowed onboard. I had already pushed my luck way too much.