Our People in VIC
Stacey Lothian - FRANKSTON SAILOR SENDS GREETINGS FROM HAWAII
A Seaman Medic in the Royal Australian Navy, Stacey was in Pearl Harbour to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC). Her ship is HMAS Tobruk, a 127 metre, 5,800 tonne amphibious craft capable of carrying up to 40 Armoured Personnel Carriers or 40 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles.
“This time we are transporting Amphibious Armoured Vehicles belonging to the US Marines,” said Seaman Lothian.
“I love my job because I deal with different people every day. And being in Hawaii for RIMPAC has given me the chance to see how other countries operate their military and how they enjoy their personal time as well.”
As a medic onboard HMAS Tobruk, Stacey deals with issues as diverse as sick parade and vaccinations to emergency trauma. The former Frankston High School student takes her responsibilities seriously, but is not daunted by the task.
“I joined the Navy in late 2006 and spent 10 months training to gain my initial qualifications,” she said
“In September this year I will be starting an advanced medical course and I am really looking forward to that.”
Stacey’s parents still live in Frankston and she hopes to visit them. In the meantime, there is a job to be done and Seaman Lothian is ready for anything.
“I love my job because I deal with a diverse range of people and every case is different. The travel is a real bonus and after our 18 day transit across the Pacific it was wonderful to take a couple of days to look at all the sights on the Island of Oahu,” she said.
“While we were alongside in Pearl Harbour, we had the chance to tour some of the ships from other nations which are here to participate in RIMPAC, as well as take a trip to Waikiki Beach” Stacey said. Many of the sailors have also visited the Arizona memorial and seen some of the historic Pearl Harbour sites.
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 08 includes HMA Ships Anzac, Tobruk, Success and Waller, Clearance Diving Team 4, Fleet Battle Staff and a Headquarters element. RIMPAC 08 was conducted from 27 June to 31 July 2008 and is the 21st in the RIMPAC series.