HISTORY BOOKS: The Sea Power Centre’s Brett Mitchell recently received a commendation for his outstanding work in the preservation and presentation of Navy history. Photo: LSPH Neil Richards

Volume 49, No. 13, July 27, 2006

For Brett Mitchell, of the Sea Power Centre in Canberra, his profession has become his passion and vice-versa.
So much so that he has won a commendation from the former DCN RADM Max Hancock for his “outstanding efforts in the recording, preservation and presentation of Australia’s naval history”.

“These efforts have contributed to the high standing enjoyed by the Naval History Section within the Royal Australian Navy and the wider community, and also to the maintenance of the Royal Australian Navy’s reputation,” the commendation said.

“In several of these investigations, your broad-based knowledge and understanding of archival practices were fundamental to rapidly locating documents that might otherwise have never been found.”

John Perryman, the Senior Naval Historical Officer at their Fyshwick office, and a former Navy man, said the commendation had been well-deserved and a long time coming.

“The public and military personnel owe Brett a debt of gratitude for his work over many years, so well done Brett,” he said.

Mr Mitchell, 36, of Canberra, joined Defence in 1988 under the old Public Service traineeship scheme.
After six months with the former Naval Health Services branch and six months in the Naval Personnel Division, he joined the then Navy Medals Section.

“I did that for three years until this position came up in 1992. It provided the opportunity to gain a broad knowledge of the RAN’s history so the move seemed a logical step.,” he said.
“I had also enjoyed studying history at school. My father Peter was a Merchant Mariner and many of my ancestors served with the Royal Navy as far back as the early 1900s.”

Mr Mitchell agreed that his love of the job had blurred the lines between profession and passion.
“I am one of those who tend not to always leave work at the office,” he said. “I am often doing things at home.”
He joked that his work/life balance is not quite right. “Like John [Perryman] this is a passion for me. Sometimes he says this is his hobby. Of course, we don’t treat it as that.

“These sorts of areas are not necessarily unique in Defence but they are unusual and you do something different every day; it is not your mundane nine-to-five job. We have over a century of service history to tap in to.”
Mr Mitchell said he knew something was in the wind because he had a tip-off and while “very embarrassed”, he was “really, really pleased” with the commendation.

The commendation follows an Australia Day Medallion in 2000.
His job mainly involves researching and writing in a broad-ranging area that fields inquiries from the military, the public and academia.

Mr Mitchell described his involvement with our last World War I veteran, the late LEUT Evan “Darby” Allen last year as “without doubt the most interesting and rewarding project I have been involved with”.

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