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Larrakeyah
Primary school kids with AB Adam Hamburger on board HMAS
Fremantle.
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Right:
Fremantle departs for the Solomon Islands.
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Photos:
LSPH Kaye Adams
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By
LSPH Kaye Adams
The
RAN’s 250 tonne patrol boat, HMAS Fremantle, has departed her
home base, Darwin, to help with Australia’s peace monitoring duties
in the Solomon Islands.
Led by LCDR Ainsley Morthorpe, the ship’s company of 25 will be
involved in Operation Anode. Upon arrival in the area of operation
she will replace the MHC, HMAS Diamantina. Fremantle is the latest
in a long line of RAN ships which have taken part in Anode.
“P203” was given a warm farewell from Darwin Naval Base on August
30.
Not only were there many family members and friends on the wharf
but a large group of children from Years one and two at Larrakeyah
Primary School.
The children acceded to an idea by LCDR Morthorpe to take an extra
member of ship’s company.
Gary the Bear will spend the next six weeks on the warship.
Gary has joined as a civilian observer, and will write reports
for students giving them a detailed description of life at sea,
and updates on what the sailors are doing day to day.
LCDR Morthorpe, trialed a similar idea during his posting to HMNZS
Canterbury as Principle Warfare Officer (PWO) for INTERFET duties.
That ship’s bear, Alex Alapuni, (who has just been promoted to
Leading Seaman) is still being deployed five years after his initial
deployment, and has enabled the ship to form a bond with the students
and the local community.
The reports and photographs that the bear sends back to the school
are used as a teaching aid for educating the children on the geographic
location of the ship, foods from different countries and daily
activities onboard a ship.
Their letters have even prompted the children to recreate a Replenishment
At Sea (RAS) with their toy trucks.
The project in New Zealand was so successful that LCDR Morthorpe
instigated the same project for local school, Larrakeyah Primary,
which has a large percentage of military family students, as well
as local Darwin students.
They have linked this project so that they can also share reports
with Geelong Primary school (Melbourne) and Palmerston Primary
in New Zealand.
Fremantle’s Anode deployment follows a year spent on Op Relex
duties as well as completing workups and readiness evaluations.
This is the first time that she has deployed for Op Anode, but
most of her ship’s company have deployed on other ships previously.
The officers and sailors are keen and excited to make their way
for operational duties.
Before departing Darwin, the children from Larrakeyah Primary
were given an informative tour of the boat by sailors AB Adam
Hamburger (pictured) and SMN Daniel Byres before they sailed.
The ship’s company is looking forward to visiting the Larrakeyah
School when it returns.
