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Thousands
at Island Heritage Day
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Members
of the Federation Guard on parade at the Garden Island Heritage
Day.
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Perfect
weather and a successful pre-event publicity campaign attracted
more than 10,000 people to a Naval Heritage Day at Sydney’s
Garden Island on Sunday, November 24.
From an early hour crowds streamed aboard shuttle buses at the main
gate or off special ferries running from Circular Quay.
Waiting to entertain them were members of the Federation Guard,
the Heritage Marine Corps, the RAN Band-Sydney and Australian Naval
Cadets.
LCDR Scott Hamilton and his ship’s company of 52 were there
to host visitors to their ship, the mine-hunter-coastal HMAS Norman.
They had readied their Double Eagle robot marine vehicles and opened
the hatch of the ship’s recompression chamber.
At the Oil Wharf was the beautifully restored 128-year-old barque
James Craig.Two brows allowed for a quick turn-over of visitors,
while nearby a large marquee housed displays by divers and heritage
groups.
The boom of an ancient cannon and the crack of FN rifles were regularly
heard as the Heritage Marine Corps and the Federation Guard performed
their drills.
The recently renovated former FIMA workshop was transformed into
an art gallery with naval themed works attracting huge crowds.
At the old “boatshed” the sounding of “pipes”
attracted large numbers to a display of model warships, a pictorial
series on the linking of the island with the mainland and the construction
of the graving docks and communications equipment of yesteryear.
Outside the boatshed stood the conning tower from one of the three
Japanese midget submarines which attacked Sydney Harbour in 1942
and sank the ferry Kuttabul causing the deaths of 21 sailors.
A large model of one of the midget submarines and a photographic
display backgrounded the attack.
Thousands walked to the old signal station atop the island enjoying
one of the best views in Sydney...a 360 degree panorama of the city
skyline and Sydney Harbour.
Signal station visitors then moved on to view the first tennis courts
in Australia and the first graffiti...initials of sailors from the
First Fleet engraved into a rock in 1788.
At the Gun Wharf, the Defence Maritime Services’ navigation
training ship Seahorse Mercator attracted large crowds. Families
viewed the classroom used by RAN officers to hone their navigation
skills, while two DMS tugs provided a firefighting display.
Elsewhere members of the Naval Historical Society were busy taking
groups to the Garden Island Chapel around Office.
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