Felicity Jevardat de Fombelle, a former journalist and political staffer working in the Defence Media team, switches up her office routine for a taste of military life on board HMAS Adelaide.
As a newcomer to Defence, I was stoked at the invitation to spend three days at sea on Navy’s biggest ship.
But it was only as our small boat approached HMAS Adelaide, waiting off the coast of Jervis Bay, that the excitement really hit me.
Our craft pulled up alongside an open door on the side of this mammoth mother ship and, one by one, 60 Defence staff, mostly civilians, climbed the four rungs of a rope ladder to be helped aboard by two cheery sailors and the captain.
Our voyage on one of Navy’s impressive landing helicopter docks had begun.
Dealing with journalist enquiries as a member of the Defence Media team, I was becoming familiar with terms such as ‘force posture’ and ‘projection’, but was itching to get out of the office, away from a computer and see first-hand what military life was all about, if only for a few days.
Adelaide afforded our party not only a glimpse of amphibious warfare operations and life at sea, but left us all with a great respect and appreciation for the professionalism and dedication of the overwhelmingly young ship’s company.
Young and patient, given the one constant of being an embarked civilian is being lost, and needing not just directions but personal escorts from our 450 gracious tour guides, as our host Captain Michael Oborn described the crew.
For us dizzied, non-military folk, Adelaide was a mind-boggling maze of narrow corridors and steep stairwells that all look the same, hence our constant cries for help.
Fortunately, the most important places – the officers’ mess, the wardroom (for relaxation, usually reserved for junior officers but overrun by Defence civilians) and the canteen (chocolate bars, can drinks, two-minute noodles and Adelaide merch) – were close together, and our nine-berth cabins just one level above, or was that below?
Bathrooms (as to be expected) were basic but clean, and showers blessedly hot. You quickly get used to the ship’s rocking motion and, once you have twisted your body into your tiny sleeping rack, most of our group slept soundly.
Meals were tasty and nutritious.
When all 1400 beds were filled, a team of 20 chefs worked a 24/7 roster preparing 4000 meals a day; plentiful servings of hearty fare and three or four options for each sitting. Dinner on our first evening was a choice of sweet and spicy chicken stir-fry, grilled salmon, beef lasagne or crumbed calamari, with vegetables and salad bar.
A dessert bar is offered post-dinner with cakes, ice cream, fresh fruit salad and treats.
The officers’ mess has a club-like feel with eager stewards putting jugs of water and green cordial on tables and whisking away empty plates.
The ship’s company were not idle. Sailors walked with purpose with the alarm system’s constant cry ‘exercise, exercise, exercise’ dictating training drills to attend to – man overboard, plane crash on deck, medical emergency … This crew was prepared for any situation.
Also evident was the warm spirit among the positive crew who were sharp and straight to the point. People look out for each other and there is a culture of training others, with no fear they will take your job.
Physical training at 6am on the flight deck was a highlight, not only because it was one of the rare times you get fresh air but also, if you’re ever going to rise at dawn for squats and burpees, what could be better than doing so at sea.
The moment overtook me as I sprinted up the ski-jump ramp channelling Rocky at the top, arms punching the air.
Another highlight was signing up for four-hour night shifts to assist the officer of the watch on the bridge.
There was no shortage of takers, reflecting the group’s enthusiasm for our sea ride program, which included tours of the ship’s many ‘departments’, briefings from department heads and thrill-seeker moments such as departing on a landing craft.
There was sadness in parting our majestic host, who treated us to a slice of life so different to our daily office routine.
But as we arrived at HMAS Creswell – surely one of Defence’s most picturesque bases with its stately buildings, clipped lawns and magnificent bay views – so too a feeling of privilege, to work at Defence and know some of the military men and women who serve for all our sakes.
