HMAS Kuttabul Opens Gangway for Navy Week

HMAS Kuttabul opened its gangway for Navy Week recently, allowing the public to join the RAN’s centenary celebrations.

Kuttabul’s open day on October 9 featured public tours of HMA Ships Anzac, Ballarat, Darwin and Melbourne, as well as demonstrations by the Navy cooks, performances by the RAN Band and the clearance divers’ noughts and crosses challenge.

The sailors relished the opportunity to tell visitors about the Navy lifestyle and a range of other topics, including recruiting opportunities and sea deployments.

Melbourne’s ABBM James Walker described the open day as a huge success.

“This is my first open day and I am really impressed by all the positive feedback from the public,” he said.

LSCSO Jake Veldums greeted visitors to Anzac and answered numerous questions about how the Navy does its job in times of war and peace.

“A lot of the visitors were genuinely curious about what Navy does, such as peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and anti-piracy patrols,” he said.

The public fascination with the history and traditions of the RAN saw bus loads of people ferried between the main wharf and the RAN Heritage Centre where they viewed relics of great historical significance.

CPO Brett Meldrum said the feast whipped up by the cooks helped the public to understand more about service conditions in the Navy.

“The food was very popular and many people were surprised at how good it was,” he said.

Kuttabul’s Commanding Officer, CMDR Christine Clarke, said more than 4,400 people attended the event.

“The open day was a great team effort,” she said.

“It provided a great opportunity to engage with the community and demonstrate Navy capabilities to potential recruits.”

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Source: navy, October 26, 2011