While the crew of HMAS Ballarat work hard to follow the ship’s motto ‘Defend the Flag’, many of them take time to continue creative pursuits.

Lieutenant Emma Cook discovered a talent for painting during her busy work routine on board.

As a principal warfare officer, Lieutenant Cook is in charge of the weapons and sensors, ensuring the ship achieves its mission during an operational deployment.

Lieutenant Cook began her career in 2013 and joined Ballarat in 2025.

Her painting journey began two years ago when she discovered a passion for ‘ink and wash’ watercolours. Her job allows her to see many interesting events, which provide inspiration for her art.

“I capture memories of things that I find interesting about a life at sea, whether that's conducting an exercise with other nations or whether it's just the normal day-to-day life on board,” Lieutenant Cook said.

“If I see something cool happen, I take a picture of it. Then I draw it later as a memory keepsake.”

Painting at sea gives her something completely different to do – a welcome relief from her regular duties. For her, painting is a way to work on her mindfulness at sea.

'I capture memories of things that I find interesting about a life at sea, whether that's conducting an exercise with other nations or whether it's just the normal day to day life on board.'

In another part of the ship, Chief Petty Officer William McCombe brings his old hobby to life.

Chief Petty Officer McCombe is in charge of the crew that handles seamanship duties and operates deck equipment, small boats and small arms.

In his downtime, Chief Petty Officer McCombe enjoys playing his guitar and listening to iconic rock bands like the Foo Fighters and Blink-182.

Playing his electric guitar brings memories of jamming with his friends in his youth flooding back.

Despite living with three other sailors in a shared room, he thinks playing electric guitar at sea is easier than it has ever been. While that may sound noisy in the shared living space, Chief Petty Officer McCombe has a solution.

“I simply plug my electric guitar into my computer, pick a song that I want to learn from an app and practise using my headphones,” he said.

“So, it's just like a game. I just play along and don’t disturb my crewmates.”

Like Lieutenant Cook, Chief Petty Officer McCombe finds his hobby brings balance to his life on board the Navy frigate.

“You can’t be working all the time. You have to have an outlet that you really love to do outside of work,” Chief Petty Officer McCombe said.