Our People in QLD
Leigh Weinert - TOWNSVILLE SAILOR SAYS “ALOHA”
Seaman Weinert is posted to Heavy Landing Ship, HMAS Tobruk, one of three RAN ships in the Australian fleet that is capable of carrying big numbers of troops and embarked military vehicles. For RIMPAC, the largest maritime exercise in the world, Tobruk has taken onboard US Marines and a number of their 26 tonne Amphibious Assault Vehicles.
A former student of Kirwin State High School and Townsville Brothers Rugby League Club member, Leigh counts this experience as one of his best since joining the Navy in late 2006.
“We’re in Hawaii for the exercise, and it has been a great opportunity for everyone in the ship’s company to get some experience working with other nations in an environment with lots of ships, aircraft and personnel,” said Leigh.
Seaman Weinert’s job involves working on everything from the ship’s main engines to smaller boats and breathing apparatus.
“The work onboard Tobruk is really enjoyable,” he said.
“It’s full of variety and challenges and my supervisors are great mentors who are helping me along the way as I get more qualified.”
Leigh counts the chance to work alongside talented and committed people as one of the benefits of the job.
“On Tobruk, with a full ship’s company of around 180, everyone knows each other and that makes for a great atmosphere onboard. We work hard but when time comes to socialise, getting out in the various ports we visit is always fun. On the ship, we have our own recreation space with computers and movies. There’s always something to do,” he said.
Hawaii is not Leigh’s first overseas trip with the Navy. Earlier this year, he represented the Royal Australian Navy in rugby and was included on a tour of New Zealand.
“That was awesome. It’s another aspect of Navy life some people don’t know about and I’d like to think it’s a reward for the hard work we put in on deployments and exercises,” said Leigh.
Exercise RIMPAC is a biennial multilateral exercise held in the Hawaiian Islands Operating Area. Countries participating with their navies include Australia, Canada, Chile, Netherlands, Japan, Peru, Singapore, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom and the USA. The exercise is intended to enhance the tactical proficiency of participating units in a wide array of combined operations at sea, on land and in the air. RIMPAC is the largest maritime exercise in the world. By enhancing interoperability between participating countries, RIMPAC promotes stability in the Pacific Rim region to the benefit of all.
The Royal Australian Navy’s contribution to Exercise RIMPAC 2008 includes HMA Ships Anzac, Tobruk, Success and Waller, Clearance Diving Team 4, Fleet Battle Staff and a Headquarters element. RIMPAC 2008 began on 27 June and ended on 31 July 2008. It was the 21st in the RIMPAC series.