Royal Australian Navy Employers Take Challenge

The Royal Australian Navy turned on some real heat away from everyday business for a group of WA senior managers and employers during a familiarisation visit to HMAS Stirling.

The group of 18 business people swapped their corporate attire for Navy overalls and boots to see how crews manage hazards at the RAN School of Survivability and Ship Safety (RANSSSS) training facility.

RANSSSS Training Facility Manager-West WO John Scarfe and his team led the group through a firefighting demonstration and damage control exercise, and then they showed their cooking skills at a barbecue lunch.

The Employer Challenge Day on 24 September, organised by the Defence Reserves Support Council in WA and supported by HMAS Stirling (CAPT Brett Wolski), was designed to showcase elements of Navy capability and the contribution made by Reserve personnel.

The day-long program included visits to HMAS Warramunga (CMDR Michael Turner) and HMAS Dechaineux (CMDR Jason Cupples).

The event gave many of the participants their first close-up look at the Navy. Amongst them was Con Abbott, Chief Operating officer of national chartered accounting firm RSM Bird Cameron.

“I was very impressed by the professionalism of the people serving in Australia’s Navy and also their calm and relaxed manner, which I suspect is vital when on active duty,” Mr Abbott said.

“This reinforced my belief in the role of the ADF and my support of volunteering through the likes of the Reserves, especially where the public interest is so strongly served.”

The broad-based group included senior representatives of Telstra, Lockheed Martin, Apache Energy, the WA Public Sector Commission, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA, Engineers Australia, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and other professional and service firms.

[mappress]
Source: navy, October 06, 2011