Download - Royal Australian Navy

NAVY ENGINEERING BULLETIN MARCH 2003
23
The Navy must recognise the
“human factor” by realising that
each crew consists of individuals
from different demographics,
possessing their own individual
needs, ideals and expectations.
Each person wants to feel they
are needed, acknowledged and
above all, the amount of time
devoted to the job is adequately
rewarded. The end must justify
the means. As the amount of
duties increase for an individual
sailor or officer they must be duly
compensated or rewarded.
Whether it is in the form of a
bonus, opportunity to take normal
recreational leave, additional
leave or simply an appropriate
increase in salary.
Pride in your job and pride in
serving your country is personally
satisfying however, pride will only
get you so far. Pride will not
support your family nor
compensate for the amount of
time you spend away from
friends and loved ones. What
other job expects you to perform
such a diverse range of tasks
and still maintain such a high
quality of service in all tasks
performed? This is in addition to
living with sixty-six other men,
sharing four toilets, remaining
confined to a world no longer
than 185 metres and spending
substantial periods of time away
from home.
If a warship can not generate
electrical power, propel through
the water, pump water over the
side, and provide the basic
elements to support the crew, the
warship can no longer fight, move
or float. Currently, the only way a
warship can perform these roles
is through the dedication and
commitment of its personnel. The
Navy must realise its best assets
are the experienced personnel
that enable a warship to achieve
its designed purpose. The Navy
must invest wisely in its people to
sustain effectiveness and not
become a liability for the people
of Australia.
In addition to my own experiences
and thoughts, I have attached a
table that provides a quick
snapshot of ten different
engineering personnel currently
serving on board and the duties
they perform. It must be noted
this table does not include
training such as; first aid, NBCD,
competency log progression,
weapon trade testing, quality
control and basic initial technical
training. Of particular interest, is
the amount of equipment required
to be operated and maintained by
individuals in addition to other
Wholeship tasks that are required
to be performed. We are not
without limits, and expectations
have already moved beyond
personal realities.
DARWIN FIRE CONTROL GREENIES: L-R LS TIM DONALD, LS YVETTE BEATTIE AND LS WAYNE
SMITH