CANTERBURY! HMNZS - Royal New Zealand Navy

GALLEY SLIDEThe Limited Service Volunteer schemeis a combined Ministry of SocialDevelopment and NZDF initiativeaimed at unemployed young (17-25)people. Originally conducted by allthree armed Services, the schemeis now centred at Burnham MilitaryCamp, but the Navy continues toprovide staff to the LSV Company.Sarah Chandler of DPRU visited thescheme last month.DOG RESCUE!BY MAA IHAKA KUTIA, SSTSLEADING Communications Operator (LCO)Hamish Peeti’s current posting to the LimitedService Volunteer Company (LSV Coy)at Burnham means supervising a platoon– about a third - of the 120 residential traineesand, some very early starts!Originally from Wanganui, Hamish arrivedat Burnham last November. His role is to advisehis 30 civilian trainees on behaviour andprotocol issues and ensure they are wherethey are meant to be on Camp at any giventime. He’s also responsible for monitoringthe trainees’ progress over the six week“boot camp” style programme.A “normal” day sees Hamish getting upat 5am to wake a duty trainee who will thenwake the other trainees of his or her Platoon.The trainees stick to a busy schedulebetween 0530 and 2230 and their days arefilled with both classroom-based tuition andoutdoor activities. Outdoor activities includeovernight tramps and abseiling, while classroomtuition focuses on improving life skillsthrough goal-setting, dress and grooming,dealing with drug and alcohol, anger managementand budgeting.LSV trainees are subject to military lawwhile resident at the camp and wear militaryuniform. They operate within the Army structureof Section, Platoon and Company. Theprogramme contains most of the elementsof basic training, however Hamish says it’sprobably “quite tame in comparison to realbasic training”.Although he’s the trainer, Hamish says thelearning process works both ways. He creditshis time at LSV Coy as being really goodfor building his own confidence, especiallywhen it comes to public speaking.TAKING THE LEADAT LSV COY:LCO HAMISH PEETI“I was always able to speak around mypeers but I wasn’t so good speaking aroundpeople I didn’t know well. Being around thetrainees all the time has given me a constantaudience.”Trainers attend the life skills classes andparticipate in outdoor activities along sidethe trainees. Hamish says he and the othertrainers don’t worry too much about comingacross as experts at the activities. “It boostsmorale if the trainees see we’re participating- and they get to have a laugh when they seeus make mistakes”The LSV unit is staffed on a tri-Servicebasis comprising 50% Army and 25% eachNavy and Air Force. Being Navy-trained in apredominantly Army environment, Hamishis on hand to advise curious trainees aboutwhat life’s like in the RNZN. Some traineesview the LSV scheme as “a gateway to themilitary” however Hamish says the course isnot a recruiting tool. Instead it’s about creatingan environment in which young people”emerge to find their own way in life”.Hamish says the most rewarding part ofhis job is watching the successful trainees“march out” at the graduation ceremonyon the last day of the course. The majorityof those who have stayed the distance,he says, leave Burnham with a sense ofachievement and “a new found respect forthemselves and others”.LIMITED SERVICEVOLUNTEERSThe stated mission of the Limited ServiceVolunteer scheme is “to increase numbersof young New Zealanders enteringemployment or further training”. Thescheme is a combined Ministry of SocialDevelopment and NZDF course. TheMinistry pays the operating costs (about$2,800 is allocated for each trainee overa 6 week period). The NZDF deliversexpertise and training personnel. To beeligible for admission to the programme atrainee must be aged between 17-26 andregistered with Work and Income NewZealand (WINZ). It is estimated morethan 70% of trainees find employmentor go on to further training within twomonths of completing the course.WN 07-0047-81ON Wednesday 20 June, course members at the Sea Safety TrainingSquadron, were asked by a member of the public to rescue a dog thatthey had noticed, trapped in the mud on a flood tide at NgataringaBay.LCH Regan Garrett volunteered, stripped, and waded into the mud andtide to rescue the dog, which turned out to be an elderly Jack Russellterrier. Because of its condition – hypothermia - GSH Steve Davis thentook the bedraggled dog to the vet at Devonport. As luck would haveit, this was the dog’s usual vet, so tracking down its owner was not aproblem. The owner was appreciative!The vet put the dog on a drip and it recovered from its ordeal. It was a16 year old Jack Russell named Biddy – no doubt he will be more carefulabout the mud next time!BZ to LCH Garrett, who braved the cold to make the rescue.CANTERBURYCOMES HOMEThe new CANTERBURY sailedunder the snow-covered PortHills to arrive at Lyttelton on 28June. One of the first tasks of thenew ship’s company was to hosta pirates’ party for children fromthe ship’s charity, the Chomondleyhome. Of note CANTERBURY landedon two Seasprites and can be seenentering Lyttelton with a helo oneach deck spot.38 NT123JULY07 WWW.NAVY.MIL.NZWWW.NAVY.MIL.NZNT123JULY07 39