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| Ride worth the
money By Michael Brooke Volume 50, No. 1, February 8, 2007 |
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John Edwards and four friends paid $64,000 at the Ronald McDonald House Charity Ball late last year to secure the winning bid for a sea-ride on HMAS Sheean (CMDR Geoff Wadely). The $64,000 question the submarine FEG wanted to know was how highly would the public value the opportunity to sea-ride on the world’s best conventional submarine? CANSG, CDRE Rick Shalders told Navy News he was delighted with the response and final result of the charity auction. “It’s a fantastic outcome for the SM FEG and demonstrates how highly the public value the RAN’s Collins class submarines because of the important role they play in national defence,” he said. He said there were many reasons why members of the public would pay such a high price to sea-ride on a Collins boat, one of the world’s most technologically advanced pieces of equipment. The five-person team of honorary submariners experienced training and familiarisation in the state-of-the-art simulators and high level briefings before the rendezvous with Sheean. Unlike the major raffle prize of five night’s luxurious accommodation at the Grand Hyatt Dubai – this auction item offered hospitality with the thrill-seeking edge you only get after spending the night sleeping in a “rack” below 1,500kg of Mk 48 torpedo. CDRE Shalders said RAN submariners know how lucky they are that the RAN is equipped with the best diesel-electric submarines in the world. He said RAN submariners receive excellent training, fantastic pay and numerous opportunities to progress and enhance their skills. “The submarine fleet has opportunities right now for acoustic warfare analysts, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, cooks and seaman officers,” he said. |
