Volume 49, No. 15, September 07, 2006
Ironman among talented batch of recruits
GOLD!

Rolled gold recruits

 

TOP PROSPECTS: Coolangatta Gold winner Caine Eckstein (black t-shirt) and former Sea World worker, Todd Adamson, both hope to become divers in the Navy.

Photo: Graham Davis

By Graham Davis

Navy has struck gold in its latest recruiting intake in Brisbane.
Two Gold Coast men, Caine Eckstein, 20 and Todd Adamson, 24, both had jobs in civvie street that revolved around the sea.
They were two of 24 young men and women inducted into the Royal Australian Navy in Brisbane late last month.

Caine is a top athlete and ironman competitor. He was the winner of last year’s Coolangatta Gold.
As such, he’s a an excellent swimmer and runner.

Todd’s life too has been in and around the water.
For six years he was a dolphin trainer at Seaworld on the Gold Coast.

“At one stage I had 31 dolphins to look after ... to feed,” he told Navy News.
“It was a seven-day-a-week job. Dolphins also eat on public holidays,” he joked.

And it would seem Todd and Caine may well get close and personal with dolphins in the future.
Both have joined the RAN to become clearance divers.

They have committed themselves to the service for six years.
Their first 11 weeks will be spent doing basic training at HMAS Cerberus followed by an introductory diving course at the same location.
All being well they will then graduate to the Dive School at HMAS Penguin in Sydney.

Todd’s interest in the navy stems from his brother Nathan, who is serving onboard HMAS Manoora.

Caine and Todd were two of 13 newcomers who joined the RAN through the Coolangatta office of Defence Recruiting.
The remainder joined through offices at Maroochydore, Toowoomba and Brisbane.

To give them an immediate “feel” of the Navy the 24 young were inducted into the RAN on the quarter deck of WW2 Corvette, HMAS Diamantina.

.