A MUSICAL VOYAGE - Royal Australian Navy

- 96 –
Be proud of what you have done, as we are proud of you. Parade yourselves
confident in the knowledge that your deeds are appreciated by the Australians for
whom you served, no matter which of Australia's battles you have fought. You have
helped create a tradition which our relatively young nation can display with
honour in any company. We thank you for all of this. 5
But as we reflect on all of the conflicts in which Australians have been involved, and the
many incredibly dangerous situations faced by our defence forces in other operational
deployments, one thing clearly stands out—mateship is at the heart of what we refer to as
the ANZAC values: it drives loyalty, courage, endurance and sacrifice. It is a compelling
reason for most acts of heroism, and is a powerful motivator in our nation’s psyche.
Vice Admiral Crane characterises the ANZAC Spirit as ‘noble and selfless service to our
nation’, 6 and there is no finer example of noble and selfless service than that shown by
Ordinary-Seaman Edward (Teddy) Sheean.
On 1 December 1942, HMAS Armidale was attacked by Japanese aircraft whilst
enroute to Timor and had to be abandoned. As the crew was abandoning ship, the
Japanese began machine-gunning survivors in the water. When he saw this, Teddy
Sheean, though himself wounded, manned the aft 20 mm Oerlikon gun and began
shooting at the attacking aircraft. He shot one down and damaged two others.
Sheean remained at the gun and continued to engage the enemy aircraft even as
the ship went down. 7
Teddy Sheean gave up his chance to escape and died trying to save his mates. As Armidale
took her final plunge, witnesses saw an arc of tracer rounds going up from Teddy’s gun as
the hot barrel hissed into the water. If ever a little ship died fighting, then Armidale was
that ship; and it was this teenage boy who brought undying fame to his little ship at the
cost of his young life. But he did not die thinking of fame. He gave his life for his friends. 8
What does the example of Teddy Sheean teach succeeding generations of young
Australians? The Navy honoured him by naming a submarine after him—the only submarine
ever named after an ordinary sailor in any navy. Perhaps what young Teddy teaches us all,
young and old, is, “it’s not all about me!”. In my view, that useful phrase sums up the point
and purpose of ANZAC Day. Teddy’s 94 year old sister pointed out at the commissioning of
the new patrol boat HMAS Armidale a few years ago:
He was an ordinary seaman, and an ordinary Australian who performed an
extraordinary act.
Mateship has never been the exclusive preserve of our defence forces. Whenever
Australians are called upon to assist, mateship comes to the fore. We see it in our fire
fighters and emergency services teams, in our vast band of community volunteers, our
medical staff, our police and many others who respond to those in need. 9 Perhaps most of
all, ANZAC Day is a celebration of ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.
When you parade on ANZAC Day, reflect upon the opportunities and freedoms bequeathed
to us by our forebears; they would be comforted in knowing that we, and the people of
Australia, remember and honour their sacrifice. But we can take the act of commemoration
to an even higher place by following their example—by committing ourselves to lead lives
worthy of their sacrifice by looking after our shipmates and our fellow citizens as well as
we are able. This is the test of humanity, which will make us worthy of our inheritance.
And in this way, we can renew our pledge of nationhood in honouring those who served and
suffered or died. The ANZAC values serves to shape Who We Are and What We Stand For.
5 ANZAC Day Speech by the RSL National President, Major General Bill Crews, 2006
6
CN AUSTRALIA message 191016ZAPR10 para 6
7
http://www.navy.gov.au/Publications:Papers_in_Australian_Maritime_Affairs_No._17,
Watson
article by N.
8 http://www.navy.gov.au/Ordinary_Seaman_Edward_Sheean, article by J.H. Straczek
9 ANZAC Day Speech by the RSL National President, Major General Bill Crews, 2006
Royal Australian Navy Band: A Musical Voyage