Helping sailors to reverse decisions to send them back to sea so soon after they had returned from lengthy sea duty provided his toughest assignment, veteran Senior Chaplain Graeme Adsett reveals.

"One sailor sought my help to get time ashore so he could get married," the Uniting Church clergyman said.

"Another had been at sea for six years.

"Three months after coming ashore he was asked to go to sea again," SCHAP Adsett related of another case.

He said the need to send sailors back to sea within a short time to fill vital billets created problems for the personnel themselves and their families.

Chaplains, social workers and psychologists were being kept increasingly busy helping sailors and their families with their problems, he said.

SCHAP Adsett said that commanding officers of many ships now recognise the need to cater more to the welfare of their ship's company.

Many are asking that chaplains be posted to their ships. Navy News understands that one commanding officer has asked for all ships to have a billeted chaplain.

SCHAP Adsett's remarks came after he completed lengthy service with the Royal Australian Navy. Recruited in 1985 he served as a PNF member until 1993.

He returned to the RAN in 1996 as a Reservist and completed his stint in the last week of February. Workmates and friends farewelled him in Sydney.

Of his career he said he was in Tobruk when the Gulf war (early 90's) broke out and used services on board as a way of counselling and easing the anguish of the ship's members.

"The highlight of my career was probably working with Training Command under the command of RADM Scarce," he said.

"I introduced the first training program for chaplains," he said.

When the Training Command was extinguished he was posted to the Mine Warfare FEG at HMAS Waterhen.

His completion of service with the RAN does not mean the 59-year-old father of four will put his feet up. Far from it.

He has been appointed the Synod Coordinator of Chaplaincy of the Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church.

This will see him coordinating and training Uniting Church clergy working, or planning to work in the police, corrective service, military, aged care, hospitals and schools in Queensland.

Right now Graeme and his wife Ruth are busy moving house to Brisbane.

By Graham Davis