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Olympics
During the Olympic Games in 56' I was
drafted to Lonsdale as a patrol driver, my kellick an ex-birdie.
Fortunately I got to see a lot of the games. It was a great experience,
almost as much fun as patrolling the red light district keeping my
fellow Matelot safe! After the games, I was drafted back to
the Sydney whereby we met the HMAS Melbourne in the Bight and safely
escorted her to Sydney. Later that same year we accompanied the
Melbourne as a supply ship carrying spare choppers, on our first trip to
the Far East.
Far East
Singapore was a major cultural shock.
We tied up at HMS Terror. The first taxi ride into Singapore was out
of this world! The driver put one hand on the horn and away we went
holding on for dear life. As we passed through one village, a lad was
showering near a roadside water-pump. I thought we had collected him and
as I looked back he was actually spinning around. Singapore was
definitely a cultural change.
We saw all the
sights ... the New World; the NAAFI Club; we had a beer or two at
Raffles; and even visited the Cultural Centre in Boogie Street.
Next we steamed into Hong Kong; Wanchi; Happy Valley; KowLoon
[Waltzing Matilda Bar]; Manila. Three months in the Far East
was certainly an eye opener, only ending with our first Aussie
return port of call, Darwin. Once back down under
came the inevitability of change. With mixed emotions I left
the Sydney having been drafted to the HMAS Melbourne.
While navy life is
a wonderful experience for any man it is, and always will be first
and foremost, a duty to one's country. On 22 November 1955 for
example, a secret request to utilise naval services in the Strategic
Reserve on what was deemed anti-terrorist operations was relayed by
the Secretary of the Navy to the Far East Commander in Chief.
This request was subsequently approved the following day resulting
in a strengthening of the commitment to be battle ready.
Sailors were
required to be physically and mentally prepared for contingencies up
to and including full-scale war. Thus we trained, re-trained
and then trained some more. Exercise upon exercise we drilled
as instructed. We lived in conditions that today would de
deemed unacceptable, however, despite a lack of comfortable quarters
including no air-conditioning, and on-board illness an ever-present
hazard, we none the less banded together and prepared ourselves for
war.
Within the space of
five years the RAN deployed 13 ships on 35 tours of duty. Duty
which would later be forgotten to all but those who endured such
peril. But that's another chapter and I am jumping ahead of
myself. Let's take a step back and first stroll on board the
deck of the Melbourne. |
