I served in the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm from June 1958 until June 1973. During that time I was initially based at HMAS Cerberus on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, where I completed my basic training and had my Electrical and Aircraft theory forced fed into my system in preparation for service at HMAS Albatross the Fleet Air Arms Air Station in lower New South Wales, at Nowra. There I would receive the practical training required to repair and service the various aircraft which were in service at that time. All this was designed to train you sufficiently and competently enough, to serve on the front line aircraft carriers, at sea.

HMAS Cerberus is located almost on the end of the Mornington Peninsular which pushes out into Port Philip bay, near Frankston south of the City of Melbourne. In such a position it is open to all kinds of foul weather conditions and is continually covered in a dull looking clouds which drip constantly with a fine drizzle like precipitation. A miserable place at best!!  If anyone has pulled Sentry Duty on the East Gate during winter time, reads this, he will know what I am talking about. The first heady days at Cerberus soon become something of a challenge, where 'Hairy-Arsed' Petty Officers and Chief Petty Officers, attempt to get you fighting fit and into some sort of an organised rabble. It doesn't take long to sort the men out from the boys, its then that things start to take shape. During the 6 weeks of Basic Training, you get no leave, little sleep, and you are constantly barraged by the instructors who in their 'infinite wisdom', attempt to teach you personal hygiene, how to march, how to carry and use a very heavy rifle, and how to have an immaculate appearance, which is not at all easy considering the weather conditions. Thank heavens for the steam driven drying rooms which were always full. In other words, these roaring, shouting, belittling instructors, owned our butts!!  They were the ones in six short weeks attempted to mould us into lean, mean fighting machines, the ones who told us how to "Shit, Shoot and Sit",  and in which order to do it!!

To finally pass out of recruit school and into 'Ships Company' proper is a big day in your life, however you are still almost the lowest of the pecking order, but life does get a bit easier. Some of the instructors I had, I later served with on squadrons and aboard ship, some of them turned out to be decent guys, they were only doing their job as it was laid down. For the next four to five months were segregated into our different trades and we went to school each day, to be trained as electricians, engineers, radio mechanics, gunnery, general seamen, stewards or cooks, depending on your individual IQ and where the Navy decided you should be placed. The Electrical School where I was to study was immediately adjacent to the 'WRAN's Quarters' where the women of the Navy were housed, separate of course to the men, for obvious reasons. Being located as such, it had a big influence on the direction my life was to take. During our usual routine of the day, we were always double marched to the Electrical School by a different squad leader, each week. On one occasion that I was the squad leader as we passed the Wardroom, a solitary Wran was making her way to the Cookery School where she was teaching. In a fit of devilment I ordered the squad to give her an 'eyes right' (a salute) as we drew level with her. This drew a moment of panic from her and she blushed openly as it was not the normal thing to expect. She did not return the salute!!  A couple of days later, we had another encounter, again I ordered the 'eyes right' and again she did not return the salute, but we did get a nice smile this time. That Lady sailor, later became my wife!!  

On graduation from our electrical course, I was drafted (posted) to 816 squadron at HMAS Albatross in NSW and commenced my practical training. The condensed course we had just completed told us what things were and how they worked but we had little idea what they looked like or where we were likely to find them. As soon as we were set loose on the aircraft things began to take shape and make sense. Below are some of the aircraft types I would work on over the years.

Douglas Dakota ( DC3 ) above. DC3 cockpit ( right ).

The magnificent 'Dak' as it was known has been the most trusty and reliable workhorse ever built. Many are still in service today. Apart from civilian commercial use, they were used by the air forces and navies of the world as a cargo carrier, parachute platform and a thousand other uses during WW2. They were simple and uncomplicated and extremely easy to access and work upon.

Mk1 Firefly from the same stable as the Spitfire, used by the RAN in the Korean War.

The 'Sea Fury' also used in the Korean War was the fastest radial single engine driven plane ever built. Both of these types of planes were used onboard HMAS Sydney during this era.

The Fairey Gannets seen here on the hard standing at 'A' Hangar HMAS Albatross were the anti- submarine aircraft along with the Sea Venom fighter aircraft that replaced the Sea Fury and the Firefly aircraft as the Fleet Air Arms carrier bourn strike force in the late 1950's.

They were unique in that they had contra-rotating propellers and when on anti-sub patrols they could stop one engine, feather the propeller of the other, until the aircraft was barely moving through the sky. This was advantageous for fuel consumption which allowed the aircraft to stay on station for long periods, tracking submarines. They also carried sonar-buoys and torpedo's and other armament.

Please go to HMAS Melbourne..