Defence

Navy

Navy lifestyle Today: recruiting tomorrow's commanders

By Lieutenant Barbara Butler RAN

Being winched out of Sydney Harbour by a helicopter is all in a day’s work for Navy clearance divers but it was a first for Channel 9 television personality Steve Jacobs.

Jacobs volunteered to experience the Navy lifestyle aboard the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigate HMAS Stuart on 23 October and he certainly had an experience that few civilians would ever be exposed to.

It was all part of a Today show dedicated entirely to Navy that was telecast live nationwide from the flight deck of HMAS Stuart. The show was in the planning stages for a month beforehand and rehearsals proved invaluable - especially for Jacobs!

For starters, HMAS Stuart had to be secured to the Man o' War buoys in the middle of Sydney Harbour. This was so telegenic landmarks such as the Harbour Bridge and Opera House could provide a great backdrop for the show.

Today show hosts Jessica Rowe and Karl Stefanovic initially found the rocking motion somewhat disconcerting but got their sea legs in time to interview the Minister for Defence, Dr Brendan Nelson MP, who, having visited many RAN fleet units in his first year in the job, was quite at home.

Dr Nelson officially launched the Navy Lifestyle website, a computer animated website that gives prospective recruits the opportunity to spend a virtual day aboard HMAS Anzac and enables them to follow 25 different members of the ship’s company. The site offers more than 100 video files, using 3D animation and flash technology to deliver a truly interactive experience for the user. Users can also get a holistic view of what Navy does by viewing the world map and following the fleet's activities around the world over the course of a year.

Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Today show was the arrival of an armed boarding party from HMAS Ballarat who came alongside, swiftly boarded the ship, searched for and apprehended Jacobs. He was dropped into Sydney Harbour, winched aboard a Navy helicopter and whisked away commando-style for interrogation.

Maritime Commander, Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas, AM, CSC, RAN, headed up an all-star cast of Navy interviewees including the Commanding Officer of HMAS Stuart, Commander Peter Leavy, RAN, Sub-Lieutenant Lauren Rago, RAN, who hosts the Navy Lifestyle website, and Medic, Petty Officer Nicole Grundy.

The RAN Band provided a great play-off for the Today show, the ship's company headed for home, and the landlubbers retreated to their desks at Nine Network offices, except for Steve Jacobs. He was still towelling down.

Extreme Battleships - update

Subsequent to last month’s story about the launch of Navy’s Extreme Battleships game on the Today show on 21 September:

• 299 487 users have played;
• 821 593 games have been played;
• 35.2 per cent of users are regular players of the game;
• 29 800 users have clicked through to www.defencejobs.com.au from the trades logo panel on the game;
• 53 342 users have clicked through to the intelligence brief for more information on the RAN; and
• 329 people have started their online application as a direct click through from the game.

LEUT Barbara Butler is Manager Navy Internal Communication.

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