FAREWELL SAILOR

NEWS
of opportunity POCK
Filling in the gap
Most gap-year sailors in the
RAN are posted to sea on warships.
Not sMNGX
Jarryd Madden.
Given the
opportunity, he
jumped at the
offer to serve
in sts Young
Endeavour.
Working
ashore at Garden
Island after completing his 11-week
basic training at HMAs Cerberus,
sMNGX Madden was given the
opportunity to join the ship in
Mackay in April. He joined 10 other
RAN officers and sailors participating
as one of the 28-strong youth
crew who sailed the ship to Brisbane
over an 11-day voyage.
sMNGX Madden left school in
Victoria in 2009 and applied for the
Navy gap-year experience in July
2010.
COMPETITIVE
Highlight of his career
LCDR Damien Munchenberg
has had a very dramatic change
of command.
thirteen months ago he was
commanding HMAs tarakan and
leading her trained crew.
then he was posted
to command sts
Young Endeavour.
sure, the ship has
a core RAN crew
of about nine, but
every 14 days or so
he is joined by 24 to
27 young men and
women from across
Australia, the majority
of whom have
never been to sea.
“It is an extremely rewarding
and challenging command,” LCDR
Munchenberg said.
“the youth crew come aboard
as individuals but leave as strong
team members with a greater
REDRAW
understanding of their personal
strengths and character.”
During each voyage the ship
hosts a group of youths with special
needs or from disadvantaged
backgrounds for a
three-hour day sail,
adding an exciting
dimension to the voyage
program.
LCDR
Munchenberg has
been in the RAN for
15 years. specialising
as a mine warfare
and clearance diving
officer he has served in
AUstCDts one and
Four, serving operationally in Iraq,
and with 2 Commando Regiment.
Asked how he found command
of the Young Endeavour, he
responded, “it’s been the highlight
of my career”.
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Adrian Holmes arguably
has the busiest job on board STS
Young Endeavour.
He knows what the RAN staff
crew of the ship love to eat but it is
a different matter
catering for the
24 to 27 youth
crew members
who come aboard
every 14 days.
“They have
enormous appetites,”
he said.
Not only does
he need to keep
the freezers,
fridges and dry
store filled, he
has to cater for
the many dietary
requirements the
newcomers have.
With guidance
from the
Young Endeavour
Youth Scheme’s
Sydney office, he prepares meals
suitable for those who are vegetarians,
vegans, lactose intolerant and
coeliac.
“Recently I had to read up on
kosher meal preparation,” he said.
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NAVY NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews May 12, 2011
11
What’s cooking chef?
The 15-year veteran of the RAN
rises early to begin baking and prepare
meals for those on board.
By the end of the day he has
completed at least 150 meals.
The menu
changes for each
voyage and often
there is a choice of
five mains for each
meal.
Yes, he does
get help from a
rotating roster of
youth crew helpers
but he always puts
in a full shift.
“I enjoy it,” he
said.
If that is not
enough, POCK
Holmes is the
ship’s medic and,
like all Young
Endeavour staff
crew, is a qualified watch leader
who often leads the youth crew on
deck, delivering the youth development
program and teaching them to
sail the ship.