 |
ON
COURSE: Maritime Commander RADM Davyd Thomas and CAPT Mike van Balen with students
of the Junior Warfare Officer Application Course 41. |
Photo:
ABPH Justin Brown |
By
Michael Brooke
Volume 49, No. 4, March 23, 2006
Such
is the call of duty at sea that one young Lieutenant sailed with HMAS Ballarat
to the Persian Gulf just an hour before he was scheduled to receive an award for
outstanding seamanship from the Maritime Commander.
LEUT Jonathon Beatty’s
outstanding seamanship and sense of timing was evident, in that he was onboard
Ballarat sailing through Sydney Heads at the precise moment RADM Davyd Thomas
began presenting awards at the Junior Warfare Officers Application Course (JWAC)
award ceremony at HMAS Watson (CAPT M.J. van Balen) on March 1.
RADM Thomas
said this was the largest JWAC Phase IV (sea) class for more than five years,
with all 63 members of JWAC 41 joining their ships at a time when each and every
one of them was required because of the Navy’s operational tempo.
The
Maritime Commander said the members of JWAC 41 had exciting challenges and great
responsibilities ahead of them.
“Your journey toward command will
begin, or in some cases as with LEUT Beatty, has already begun, with embarkation
on RAN warships in pursuit of your Bridge Warfare Certificate,” he said.
“The
Navigation Watchkeeping Certificates you receive today, because of your efforts
at JWAC, will put you on the path to obtaining your Bridge Warfare Certificate,
which you need to command a warship in the RAN.”
The Maritime Commander
told the JWAC graduates that in years to come they could command the new naval
platforms being acquired by the Navy in its transition from the Fleet-in-Being
to the Enhanced Fleet and the Future Fleet by 2015.
“Receiving your
Bridge Warfare Certificates is the first in several important steps that leads
to the exciting challenge and responsibility of commanding an upgraded FFH and
eventually even the newer platforms to be procured in the future such as the Air
Warfare Destroyers,” he said.
During the award ceremony, RADM Thomas
urged the 63 JWACs to remember his key messages, which he said would serve them
well in their careers.
RADM Thomas said he wanted “leadership, risk
management and a sense of Navy community to be hallmarks of our fleet”.
He
presented all graduates with Navigation Watchkeeping Certificates as well as a
number of other awards.
SBLT Janelle Jamieson, and SBLT Kate Stevenson, who
have both been posted to HMAS Arunta, were awarded the Dux of JWAC A/B and the
Dux of JWAC 41 C/D, respectively
These awards were for the officers who achieved
the highest academic standard throughout all phases of training in their respective
class.
SBLT Mark Whitty, who has joined HMAS Sydney, received the Department
of Defence Prize for best performed in Phase IV Bridge Simulator, presented by
CMDR John Cowan on behalf of CDRE Trevor Jones (Head of Surface Warfare Community).
SBLT
Ryan Wilson, who has posted to TA-SM for submarine training, received the Ian
McDonald Memorial Award for Most Improved JWAC Trainee Phase 1- Phase IV (Shore).
Last
but not least, the Commanding Officer’s Prize for best results JWAC Warfare
went to ASLT Andrew Steinbeck, who has joined HMAS Melbourne.
