Creswell joins in festivities as cadets pass out

The old field piece.

Sunset on the quarterdeck and the White Ensign is lowered.

DCN RADM Rowan Moffitt inspects the parade.

By Graham Davis

The “crack” of 70 Steyrs followed by the “boom” from an historic field piece echoed across the floodlit quarterdeck of HMAS Creswell.

The base’s wallabies may have been put out but the 500 members of the public watching from the sidelines were thrilled. They were seeing their sons, daughters, boyfriends, girlfriends and mates on parade.

The occasion, on June 19, was a Ceremonial Sunset carried out by 97 trainee officers who had just completed the 22 week New Entry Officer Course at the college.

The ceremony marked the start of 36 hours of activity culminating next day in a graduation parade, prize presentation, “photo shoot” and luncheon.

From the 103 trainees who began the course 97 graduated. They included three dentists and a doctor and two young officers from the Tongan Navy. 18 were women.

Of the 97 who graduated, half will go to ADFA.

The June graduation was the second largest in the college’s history. 112 graduated from a course last year.
The next intake will see about 75 hopefuls learning the ropes.

However, the recruiting program now being pushed by Defence could see some 150 enter the first course of 2004.

Commanding Officer CAPT Andrew Cawley welcomed Naval Systems Commander CDRE Russ Crane to the Ceremonial Sunset.

They were joined the next day by the graduation Reviewing Officer, Deputy Chief of Navy RADM Rowan Moffitt.

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