The test is in the tasting, with sailors enjoying morning tea in the new galley. Photo by ABPH Bill Louys.

A $1.1 million state-of-the-art refurbishment of the galley at HMAS Kuttabul in Sydney was formally opened by CDRE Russ Crane on May 30.

The galley can now prepare and serve 1200 meals daily, up from 800 meals in the old galley.

If required it can operate around the clock.

Started last Christmas the refurbishment was so extensive that a bobcat was called in to tear up old deck surfaces.

Now the galley has ultra-safe flooring.

In addition it has modern ovens, refrigerators, freezers and hotplates, while the servery features a carvery, hot and cold food bars, a make-your-own sandwich function, self-serve beverages and tea and coffee.

All meet special safety standards including the ability of users of any height to access them easily and safely.

LCDR Tim White, who has been part of the work supervision team, said some additional seating will come with the refurbishment.

He said there will be about 140 seats in the sailors' mess and 40 in the senior sailors' mess.

The ambience of the dining room has also been significantly improved, with sailors now having an uninterrupted view of Sydney Harbour through a new full glass feature wall.

LCDR White said the supervision team encountered many challenges along the way, as you would expect while transforming a 1960s building into a 21st century brasserie-style dining facility.

"There were hidden pipes, strange secret wires, unique methods of construction and many years of maintenance and alterations to identify, rectify or replace," he said.

During the refurbishment, portable kitchens stood in the car park of the base.

Meals prepared there were transported to a temporary mess higher up the building and dispensed to sailors.

By Graham Davis