Bunbury kisses and tells

By Graham Davis

HMAS Bunbury’s Buffer, PO Tim Oscar with one of the turtles his boat rescued. Photo by LCDR Andy Schroder

Television fishing expert Rex Hunt kisses his catch and puts it back in the water.
LCDR Andy Schroder and his ship’s company in patrol boat HMAS Bunbury, have been doing the same, well almost.

During a patrol near the Tiwi Islands north of Australia last month, the ship’s company was conducting an arduous period of engineering casualty control drills.

During one of the drills the Officer of the Watch, PONPC Minogue spotted a large fishing net floating on the surface.

It is not uncommon for the RAN’s patrol boats involved in Tiwi patrols to find such nets, LCDR Schroder, told Navy News.

The nets have either been lost or have broken off longer nets.

“They then become a hazard to both navigation and local marine life such as turtles and dolphins,” he said.
He was not wrong. When his ship’s company pulled the net from the water it found two turtles and other marine creatures caught in the web.

“The Buffer, Tim Oscar, displaying that beneath his rough exterior lies a more sensitive character, freed one of the turtles, gave it a kiss and released it,” LCDR Schroder said.

After freeing the second turtle and a number of other species, Bunbury continued her patrol.

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