 |
|
ATTRACTION:
Visitors to the FBE Open Day were able to explore
several RAN ships including HMAS Stuart.
|
|
Photo: ABPH David McMahon.
|
|
By
Michael Brooke
With
a nationwide survey confirming that the Australian Defence Force
is the most trusted institution in the country, it was no surprise
that Navy Week 2005 at FBE was a huge success.
More than 5,000 people visited FBE on October 1, to inspect four
warships, savour the gourmet delicacies of Café De Snag
(akin to the nearby Cafe De Wheels), and rock along to tunes played
by the Navy Big Band.
The Open Day also featured lifesaving and firefighting demonstrations,
a rock wall for climbing and a display of model war ships and
submarines built by model enthusiasts.
CO HMAS Kuttabul, CMDR Brett Chandler, said the Open Day
was a great success because it helped educate the public about the
Navy’s important role of protecting Australia’s coastline,
maritime resources and economic interests.
Ships open to the public included the replenishment ship HMAS Success,
the mine hunter HMAS Huon, and the Anzac class frigates HMAS
Stuart and HMAS Toowoomba, which was commissioned
into service on October 10.
After visiting HMAS Success, visitors gained an understanding
of how the Navy moves stores and fuel, while those who boarded HMAS
Huon were briefed about the role and operations of the Navy’s
world-class mine hunter.
The crew of Stuart and Toowoomba, which had embarked
a Seahawk helicopter, explained to the public the role and mission
of the Navy’s state of the art FFHs which play a vital role
defending the country and supporting coalition and peacekeeping
operations around the world.
‘I never knew too much about what the Navy did because
they do it so far out to sea’
– Mr Ron Archer
Members of the public told Navy News that the Open Day was not
only highly entertaining and enjoyable, given the fantastic weather
and festive atmosphere created by the Navy Big Band, but highly
educational.
Ron Archer, 52, a security guard at nearby Double Bay, said the
Open Day had opened his eyes to the “crucial role the Navy
plays in protecting the country.”
“I never knew too much about what the Navy did because they
do it so far out to sea,” he said.
Many visitors were so impressed with the important role of the
Navy that they dropped by the Navy Recruiting booth to inquire
about full-time or part-time service in the RAN.
The public’s strong support for the Navy was demonstrated
in a nationwide survey conducted by the Queensland University
of Technology that showed that the ADF is the country’s most
trusted institution (with 82 per cent of survey recipients having
total confidence in the Australian military).
The Open Day also included a model fleet display featuring more
than 20 model ships created by Defence Models and Graphics (DMG),
a club of model enthusiasts set up a decade ago by Russ French,
a former sailor.
The display featured a range of RAN and foreign warships including
a model of USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81), which carries
the Aegis Combat System based on the SPY-1 Radar system and is very
similar to the air warfare destroyers being procured by the Navy.
