ANZAC Class Frigates Selected in 1989, the ANZAC ship design is based on the German MEKO 200 frigate. Modular construction methods are employed with sections of the ships fabricated in two locations­Williamstown in Victoria and Whangarei in New Zealand- prior to final assembly at Williamstown. Eight ANZAC class frigates are being constructed as part of the overall plan to upgrade the Royal Australian Navy. A further two ships of the class have been built for the Royal New Zealand Navy. The first of class, HMAS ANZAC, was launched on 16 September 1994 and commissioned on 18 May 1996. ANZACs are long-range escorts with roles including air defence, anti submarine warfare , surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. The ships are capable of countering simultaneous threats from the air, surface and sub-surface.

BALLARAT is different to previous ANZACs as some modifications were made as a result of lessons learnt. For example, her Junior Sailors cafe, is different to that on HMAS ANZAC. The new galley sees a better 'flow-through' design from the serving line. Her hangars are also slightly different, with better fans and a RAST system for the Seasprites already fitted.

I I LIIIL' .

We dfJOI/

118 meters 4.4 meters > 27 knots 164

Ships Characteristics

Beam: Full Load Displacement: Maximum Range:

1 GE LM 2500 Gas Turbine producing 30,000hp 2 MTU 12V1163 Diesels producing 8,500hp Twin Shaft Controllable Pitch Propellers 4 x MTU 650kw Diesel Generators

14.8 meters 3,600 tonnes 6,000nm at 18 knots

L!lltlll.tiDnln ystem: Celsius Tech 9L V 453 Mk 3 RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow 11olltll >1 I! IlL Missile System:

I 11 ~ oltllol y tem:

( 11111 '

f\',W ' ,y•, lcm: I ( tly

I II II ,() f I

I t , 11 Ll t , , a I a r:

Mk 41 Mod 5, 8 Cell Vertical Launch System Mk 73 Mod 1 CWI Transmitter 9L V 453- Band Tracker 9LV 453 - Optronic Director FMC 5"/54 Mk 45 Mod 2 Gun Mount Triple Torpedo Tubes Mk 32 Mod 5 SRBOC Mk 36 Mod 1 Chaff Launcher

AN/SPS-49V (8) Long Range Air Warning Celsius Tech OIV 453 TIR Air/Surface Krupp Atlas 9600M Navigation Cossor Electrics IFF Mk XII

HMAS BALlARAT

Commissioning fJ3ool( June 2 '4 - f})ecember 004

Foreword r.By Commander rJJ.J. :J{unter, CSC, 2(.9!9{

When a Ship and her Ship's Company hav <h n so llltt ·h, .·< \ II 'lnd in uch a short period of time, the challenge for anyone ai1ning to capture those 1noments is not in what to include, it is wlwt ·: 111 ti ll' n i'I (H·d to I ave out.

The following pages Qf information, arti I s, i11d i 1 l~t :t l ·o1111 il utions , and photographs not only accurately record the events they preserve the 1noods and tone of the Ship. The spirit of n w \ :tr.· lttp 1. ' c: tptttr ·d in print; forever to re1nind us of the year 2004.

It has been the beginning of a new life. In rutur · ·: 11 ,; Ill '\ Ships' ' n1panies will join and be welcomed, however HMAS BALLARAT will always carry the character that has been cr at ·d :tttd l' tiii H ddl ·d h thos whom have served in her until now.

I applaud the work of the members of the 11l111 ill · · " It ' I t:t \ L' s i rt d through the countless items of material that this journey has produced. The results they have asse1nbled encapsulate all tlwt \ · lt :t\ do11 ·, ;t ·hicved and mis-achieved- everything we would wish to re1nen1ber while we have served in BALLARAT.

October 2005

Introduction

This book has been published to record and celebrate the commissioning and first 6 months of HM/\ I /\1 1/\1 1\T II , the sixth ANZAC class frigate to enter service in the Royal Australian Navy. We aim to create a first-hand historical 8C Hllll of til significant events in BALLARAT's life until the end of 2004, to highlight the importance the City of Ballarat and the origin rl ll /\I II\ I) 1\ r has to us, and provide a memento to be shared with friends, family and valued supporters of BALLARAT and her cr w. M > lor II , we have aspired to capture the essence of the people who are the crew of HMAS BALLARAT and who sail with her a h 11linu s her journey into the future.

Please enjoy.

The BALLARAT Editorial Team

December 2005

4

Passing the Baton 13y Cdr. C. 1Jona[tf tJJyf(es, 2(1J, 2(.9!9-{~S), ~t'tf

As the only surviving wartime Cornman lin,' (!/fleer of the Corvette Ballarat, I am honoured to provide a brief Foreword for the Commissioning of the Frigate Ball Trot. I do this on behalf of the many sailors who served in the former during her busy World War II career.

Ballarat I was a workhor .for those .fi )/11 ' _l'l'tl!·s, serving in the Singapore and Dutch East Indies area - keeping one step ahead of the Japanese .fore ·, r s ' II in.' lil es ol sea, f errying troops along the New Guinea Coast, escorting numerous convoys and surviving many J rpo11 Jsc' hotnher attacks. Early in 1945 Ballarat became Flotilla Leader of the 21 st Minesweeping Flotilla and worA ed vt ill1 1/Jc' Nrilish Pacific Fleet until the surrender of Japan. She was in Tokyo Bay for the Signing of Surrender on 2 Septemb r I <J I .

It is interesting for those who hav Sill'\ h 'c ·d In look back over the sixty-three years between these two Commissionings, particularly for those who were pre nl ollllc' firs/ on 30 August 1941 and are here today.

We of the first Ballarat are honoured lo /uo !t l llll' hat on to the ship's company of the new Bal!a1 rt and wi h all who sail in her safe voyages and safe returns.

April2004

5

HMASB Type: Displacement:

Australian Minesweeper (Bathurst Class) · 650 tonnes

Length: 186 feet Beam: 31 feet Draught: 8 feet 6 inches Builder: Laid Down:

Melbourne Harbour Trust, Williamstown 19 April 1940

Launched: 10 December 1940 Launched By: Machinery:

Mrs Dunstan, wife of Victoria's Premier Triple expansion , 2 shafts

Horsepower: Speed: Armament:

Complement

1,750 15 knots 1 x 4- inch gun 3 x Oerlikons (later 2) 1 Bofor Machine Guns Depth Charges and throwers 85

HMAS BALLARAT (1) was one of 60 Austra lian Minesweepers (commonly known as corvettes) built during World War II in Australian shipyards as part of the Commonwealth Government's wartime shipbuilding program. Twenty (including BALLARAT) were built on Admiralty orders, but manned and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy. Thirty-six were built for the Royal Australian Navy and four for the Royal Indian Navy. Eight shipyards throughout Australia were utilised for the building of the Corvettes. At the height of production, corvettes were being commissioned at a rate of one

every 26 days. Each corvette cost 250,000 pounds to bu ild and fit out. This figure is double that of th original estimate of 110,000 pounds.

BALLI\ AT w s commissioned in Melbourne on 30 Au u t 1941, under the command of LCDR Alfr rl ing, RANR. BALLARAT was known ff ti n t ly to her crew as either 'The Rat' or'G II- r'.

After co mi i nin , BALLARAT joined the 20th Min w pin lotilla based in Sydney. Her first duty, rt of the floti lla, was to sail to Jervis Bay to provide anti-submarine protection

6

TI

lo lh , 111111 p rl ship, Queen Mary, whom along with 11 1 i ter ship Queen Elizabeth tr r-111 po1l I /\u tra lian troops to the Middle

l. Il L th ships had left Jervis Bay, B/\11 /\I J/\ I r turned to Sydney.

Durinq N v rn er she left Sydney towing Oil i 111 1 N 1; her destination was Darwin , via

Bri I clll , wnsville and Thursday Island . Ur 11 11 r rriva l in Darwin during Decemb r 1 ~ 1, I 1\LLARA T commenced escort duti ~

b tw n Da rwin , Timor and Ami> 11

BALLI\ / AT spent her fi rst Christmas as n

commissioned vessel at a buoy in Darwin Harbour.

In early 1942, BALLARAT saw action during her arrival at Batavia. She then proceeded to Singapore and from here she patrolled the Banka Strait, (also known as Bomb Alley during the war) . During this patrol, BALLARAT was employed in rescuing shipwrecked crews and carrying out demoli~ion work.

On 12 February 1942, BALLARAT left Palembang for escort duties. Visibility was poor due to a severe tropical storm, and BALLARAT was ordered to anchor. It was found in the morning that BALLARAT had in fact anchored in the middle of a minefield. The order was given to raise the anchor, and with all eyes watching over the side and everyone remaining very quiet, they sailed out of the minefield .

On 14 February 1942, BALLARAT carried out one of the largest rescue operations of the campaign. She picked up 215 survivors from the MV Derrymore, which had been sunk by a Japanese Submarine, about 60 miles north west of Batavia. At 1300, the lookout spotted an empty liferaft, and at 1405, wreckage and survivors waving were spotted . The captain ordered the motor boat and the whaler to the water. They were both used to pick up survivors and ferry them back to the ship. By 1700, the operation was completed . Among those rescued was Flying Officer JG Gorton, RAAF, who was later to become Prime Minister of Australia. It is interesting to note that Mr Gorton also held the position of the Minister to the Navy prior to his Prime Ministerial Appointment.

Between February and November 1942, BALLARAT was used to land parties for demolition work at Oosthaven. Along with her sister ships, BALLARAT took a prominent part in the evacuation of Sumatra. BALLARAT was the last Royal Australian Navy sh ip to leave the area, remaining beh ind to sink an unseaworthy minesweeper. Upon return to Australia , she was employed in convoy escort work mainly to New Guinea. In November 1942, Japanese dive- bombers heavily attacked BALLARAT and her sister sh ip HMA KA TOOMBA.

In Decemb r 1 ~?., BALLARAT and her sister ships HMI\ flip OLAC and BROOME were used to lrc 11 p )II t nd land troops in the Buna r . /\rt ,I lrtiHiing l Cape Sudest, near Oro 'lY, 111 ' lllp •, w r faced with threat from

llltid ,lllili <I .til ,1c1ll. After the initial landing , in wllicll o11ly ~b ollh 762 men were landed, the hip, 1 111 t1l1 d, only to return to a different

I 11 li11q c111 c1 lllat night . All men were 1c, •,•,!lilly l<lnded under the cover of

r11 1111 '•'•

I tlliiHJ 1 )~ '3 , BALL ARA T was ordered to p 1 r1 l1 oil llw east-coast of Australia to

t111l1 1 Lqmn se submarines. During 1944, /31\ I I 1\ /' 1\ I was employed yet again as an ,• coli 111 Ill , New Gu inea area and between llllll ',dt~y I l ~md and Darwin .

111 I<) 1 , 131\LLA RA T was minesweeping off

y IIH y, prior to departing for the Leyte Gulf. )It c111 iv.1l in the Leyte Gulf, she took part in the

op 1,llic 11 for the capture of Okinawa, this battle I ) )I pl11c between March and May.

BALLARAT also took part in the surrender of the Japanese in Tokyo , where she was engaged in minesweeping with the 20th and 21st Minesweeping Flotillas. BALLARAT was the first Australian corvette to enter Tokyo Bay, and the first to land her crew on Japanese soil. BALLARAT was damaged at Amoy on 6 November and returned to Melbourne on 13 November. Upon her arrival in Melbourne, the crew were given long leave.

On completion of hostilities, BALLARAT had steamed an amazing 138,000 miles (86 ,250 km) , had spent 14,544.9 hours (606.3 days) underway, at an average speed of 9.5 knots. BALLARAT averaged a distance of 2,621 miles per month. BALLARAT was paid off into the Reserve at Sydney on 27 September 1946 and later sold to a Hong Kong shipping company. However, she did not leave Australian waters , as she was sold again , prior to her final owner purchasing her in 1953. BALLARAT was finally sold to John Manners and Co (Aust) Pty Ltd and broken up at Iron Cove, Sydney.

Construction Construction of BALLARAT comn1enced on 4 November 1988, when steel was cut ready for assembly at the TENIX dockyard in Williamstown, Melbourne. Construction continued throughout the next two year a the various units and tnodules con1pri ing this warship were built and a cmbl d. Several of these modules were built 'lnd shipped over frotn New Zealand.

BALLARAT's hull co1nprised of six n1odulcs - Ml, M2, M3, M4, M5 and M6. The upp 'r compartments also COI11 pri cd 0 r S i modules - AI, A2, A3, A4, AS and /\6. Each of these lTIOdules con i ' ted or individually built units.

A significant stage of constructi n 1s marked by the 'Keel Laying', which occurred on 04 August 2000.

Following this event, consolidation of the 1nodules occurred in the Building Berth.

Once the hull and superstructure consolidations were co1nplete, the ship cotntnenced outfitting and prepared for launch.

8

Launch

NUSHIP BALLARAT was launched at T ni I k l l' l ll ' l ' :, Wdli :tmstown dockyard on Saturday, 25 May 2002. Doctor Susanna Herd, natned the ship in honour ofthe original vessel, which s ·r t•d \\ l i l t d1 ·111trlion in the Pacific in World War II.

I)

Sea Trials NUS HIP BALLARAT cotntnenced contractor sea trials in preparation ~ r delivery on Friday, 5 March 2004. BALLARAT took to the water for the fir l time, for 12 days in Port Phillip Bay and off the Victorian coast, to test her sy lcms and perfonnance ahead of fonnal hand v r proceedings.

Under the co1n1nand of Tenix and lakin g about 35 members of Ballarat 's hip 's company with her , includin g h r designated first Commanding Officer, lh ship was put through a rigorous cl 0 r exercises and trials to ensure she was ready for acceptance . These trials inc! udcd testing the cotnbat systems, firing the gun and testing the engineering and propul si n syste1n, including a full power trial.

10

Delivery

NUS HIP BALLARAT was delivered t the Royal Australian Navy in a Ceretnony at Williamstown Dockyards on 30 Apri I 2004.

Th I ·I i ry · ' rcmony took place on the rli •h i d · I and w as attended by IJ , I! , I_. I N. l 'l "s ships company and many T ·r1 i. · \ ork ·rs. BALLARAT was formally h:tr Hit·d o r t the RAN by Mr Paul S nll ' I I ~ (' hi r xecutive Officer of the ' l t·rtr < lr (H lp. /\c cpting delivery on behalf o I llt l' P 1\ N wa Commodore Keith M : d pt t'. '.'~ < 'om mander Australian Navy , ' 11rl n ' l < 'ombal'lnl Force Element Group. < >rt d · It \ t' t ~ the hief of Navy approved ll ~t · I' II I I R 11 T' Initial Operational P ·I ·:1. · :111d d irected the Marititne < ' t tlltll :trt dl·t to a sume full Command. l•' tu rll It · t t '. 1/, /LLA RA T entered its Naval < >p ·r :llr o tt :tl T ·sl Evaluation

II

This event marked the first day in which a duty watch was formed and cotnmenced their routines. Additionally, the ship was now able to be stored and the crew comtnenced moving onboard. This resulted in a steep learning curve for the crew and a vast amount of stores and personal itetns were moved onboard.

History of Commissio g During the construction and fitting out of a ship, there are four ceretnonial occasions that occur_ the keel laying, the launch , ship delivery and the Cotntnissioning. The cotntnissioning ceretnony 1narks the introduction into service of a ship as a unit of the Royal Australian Navy. The tradition pre-dates the first European Royal Navies. Royalty would charter or 'Comn1ission' ships from private owners to search for new trade routes and riches or to fight troublesome neighbours. Sin1ilarly , privateers could seek Royal approval for their ventures in the form of a Cotnmission. This tradition continued after the first Navies were fanned and marked the official handing over of the ship from builder to the Navy.

At the 1noment of breaking the co1nmissioning pennant, H MAS BALLARAT, becomes the responsibility of the Comtnanding Officer, who, together with the ship's officers and sailors, has duty of n1aking and keeping her ready for any service required by our nation in war and peace. The distinctive tnark of a RAN ship in comtnission, other than the Australian White Ensign, is a flag or pennant at the masthead.

On the appointed day, lh s hip,s comn1issioning or n1asthcad pcnnHnl is duly

hoisted, the newly joined Captain, Officers and ship's cotnpany assemble either on the quarterdeck or on the jetty alongside which the vessel is lying, usually in the presence of a congregation composed chiefly of the partners and fatnilies of the new crew.

The ceretnony begins with the arrival of fficial guests and inspection of the guard

by the guest of honour who is accotnpanied by the Cotnmanding Officer. The

ommanding Officer then reads the comm iss ioning orders. The Nation a l /\11thcn1 is played, and simultaneously, the /\ustr'l li an White Ensign and the Australian Nationn l Flag, are hoisted, and the co mmissi ning pennant is broken. The

'uptt1in , Officers and ship's cotnpany then pro·' ·d onb ard and the ship is now cons id r d to be part of Her Majesty 's Roy;tl /\uslntli'l n Navy. The Officer of the Di.ly l:1k ·s s l;1tio11 n the Bridge and tnakes th' l'irsl cnlry in the ship's log 'HMAS B/\LL/\1' AT ol'rici lly Cotnmissioned into the Ro :II /\11slm li ·m Navy'.

In thL' <1:1 ,' or r lti airy, knights rated a small poiniL'd 11:1)' or p '1111 n. The tnark of a 'quirL' \ :1. · :1 lu111' p ·nn ant very sitnilar to the "cone! I\ lttp pt'llll:llll' of n1odem men-of­war. B:tiOIH'I. ' tHIII:tllkL·d lhc I night but took pr 'CL'(kl tt't' h ·low n I uron. hey carried a I ni d1l ' s p 1111011 with a sp lit in the end. It

12

W(IS ctl. ' lo11wry create barons on the h<~llkll ·ld h the king or general cutting off p11rl or lit · p ·nnon. This square flag was a s 111 hoI or in · reased rank. After battle, I •:d, :11 d ( k no n as The Black Prince) tore thl' l:til or I he p ' 11non of Lord John Channos s;1 ill~' 'S ir .lohn behold, here is banned; ( lod SL' IHI ou much joy with it'. One may lrnrL' di1 ·· II frotn these custotns, the "ro: trltv hip ' ·o n1n1issioning pennant, the hrond JH' IIII illtl w rn by Comtnodores, and I Ill' ,'qtl :ll'l ' ll :1 'S f Admirals of our own and olltv1 N:l\ i~. -. · .

TIH· 111odvrn Royal Australian Navy ·ott lltli. '. ' lo llill' pennant is the red cross of Sl < l~.·utl' · :11 lh h ist with a white fly. In liL'll ol n n )JJIItlissi ning pennant, flagships rl :t < 'o ltlltlo lor or Admiral's personal l'l:q' , ltl ' ll · · th name flagship. The cottlll ti .·, :loltill' p nnant is replaced by the Ro :tl , '1:11td:1rd whenever a metnber of the Ro :d l•' :tlltd is ·mbarked.

The Australian White Ensign today is a white flag with the Union Flag in the upper canton at the hoist with six blue stars positioned as in the Australian Flag.

Prior to the establishment of the RAN, Australian colonial Navies flew a Blue Ensign defaced by the badge of the individual colony. On 10 July 1911, His Majesty King George V granted the title of 'Royal Australian Navy' to the Commonwealth Naval Forces. Thereaft r RAN ships flew the White Ensign a did '1 11 Dotninion warships.

However, for tnany years Australian opinion favoured a distinctly Australian ensign. In January 1966, the Chief of Naval Staff (today known as Chief of Navy) and metnbers of the Naval Board and his senior officers rec 111111 nded to the Govemtnent that th RAN h uld have its own unique white n ign.

T h M i n is t r I r t h N '1 v y i n ~ rn1 e d the Prin Minist r or th Nava l Board's r < mm nd<tlion ' ll I th r rm·1l 'lppr val of II r Mct.i st Q u en Eli z·1 th II was r Ill st d. Ro a l a ent t th n w ensign w;t s q·nnt ·d < n 7 Nov n1b r I c (c. 1-- nnal :trtrt ot trt · ·rtt ·nt of the new en ign w·1s n1ade I tit · Prilll Minister on 23 ·ember l <)()() .

I .

Australian White Ensign

Commissioning Ore£ r (~/ ( ' 'r nwny & Service

Ship's Company and Guard march onto the wharf

Maritime Commander Australia and Official Party of VIPs arrive

Guest of Honour arrives

Parade inspection

Commanding Offi cer read the Commissioning Order

Invitation to Prayer Commander D.J. H unt er R/\N (Commanding Officer HMAS Ballarat)

In the course of duty we are set in the n1idst of exciting, challenging and somet i m s dangerous tasks. It is therefore fit and proper that we should humbly ask the blessing of Almighty God at the beginning of this commission of Her Maj esty' Australian Ship Ballarat, that He may sustain us and protect us in the performance of our duty. Let us then join each other in prayer that this Ship, and all who serve in her now and in the future , may always be under God ' s protection, and that we ourselves may serve in her to the good of our Sovereign , Queen Eli zabeth, the advancement of Australi a, and the glory of God's Holy Na111 . I invite the Chaplains to ask a bless ing on ur Ship.

The Lord' s Prayer (Said by all) Led by Chaplain G. Lock RAN

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy N arne, Thy kingdom co1ne, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us thi day our daily bread, and forgive us our tr passes, as we forgive those who trespas gainst us. And lead us not into temptation· ut deliver us from evil, for Thine is the

I ingd m, the power and the glory, forever 'lnd v r. Atnen.

Psa lm 107

R '' I I y Senior Chaplain M.J. Walbank R !\ N (W ith Guests Responding) V: So m sa il ed the sea in ships, performing

th ir d 1ty n the great waters. R: T il · s·1w the deeds of the Lord, His

won lr HIS w rk in the deep. V: J•' or II · n 111 anded, and raised the

storlll win I, which lifted up the waves ol' tlt ·. · ·: t.

R: rl h · tiiO tltll · I up to heaven, they went down lo I It · d pth · their courage melted 'l w (I i II t II \ i r i I r I i g h t'

V: h ' r · · I · I ~ ~ n I taggered like drunk:1rds, tt lld w r ·1t th ir wits' end.

14

P: Tit ·11 tit · ri d to the Lord in their llotlh ll\ :1 11 III delivered the1n from their dt , ' II '. '. ·~

V : II · ltt :l< l th torm be still, and the wn v -. · o I' I h s were hushed.

P : 'I It ' II I ll w re glad because they had qtll ·t :111 I II brought them to their d ,' II ·d lt :t 11 .

V · I ·t I II ' tit tl l'I I I the Lord for His steadfast In · lor II is wonderful works to the r lltld lt'll o r !\. I m!

R I ·I nil · · tol Ilin1 in the congregation of lhl· p )pi , and praise Him in the :t. ',' lll tl I ol'th lders.

s,..- ph1n l{,•ading: St Matthew 8: 23-27 R nd I < 'll1 ·r P tty Officer R. Waites /\ 11d wit ' I I .I s 1 got into the boat, the dt. 'c lpll .· lo ll ow Him. And behold there :1ro.·l· n 1' 1 ·n t st( nn on the sea, so that the bo:tl \\ n.· h ·i 11 , ·wamped by the waves; but I k \ n,· n.· l · ·p. And they went and woke 111 111 .· n 111 , " ave, us Lord; we are p 11 .' lt111 ' '. /\ n I He said to them, 'Why are yo 11 .·o nlmi I, men of little faith?'

Thl' ll .I ·. ' t J. ' ros nd rebuked the winds and tit· .· ·: t ~ :1 11 I th r was a great calm. And the nt ' II 111: 11 ·II d aying "What sort of a man is llti .·, tlt ;1l ven the winds and sea obey I lim'."

The Naval Prayer Read by Rear Adtniral R.W. Gates CSM, RAN

0 Eternal Lord God, who alone spreads out the heavens and rules the raging of the sea; who has compassed the waters with bounds until day and night come to an end: Be p leased to receive into Your almighty and most gracious protection, the persons of us Your servants and the Fleet in which we serve.

Preserve us from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enetny· th t w may be a safeguard unto ur v r i ) Jl ,

Queen Elizabeth and h r d n ini ot s, ;111 I ·1

security for tho e wh p 1ss 0 11 t h · s ·; ts 11 po11 their lawful i n ·· th at th · i11hitl it:tll l. ' of our Comn1 nwe llh n ·ty in p ·a · · n 11<1 quietness serve You ur d· ~\1 I tll ;tl l '

may return in safety to enj y the I ·ss it q, ,· of the land, with the fruits of ur Ia ) trs, and with a thankful remetnbranc r Your mercies to praise and glorify Your ho i name; through Jesus Christ, Our L r I. Amen.

Blessing of the Ship Read by Chaplain G. Lock RAN (Protestant Denominations)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we dedicate and set apart HMAS Ballarat as a sign of our duty toward our Queen and our Country in the s i rht of God. Amen.

Read by Senior Chaplain M .J. Walbank RAN (Anglican)

May God the Father, God the Son and G d the Holy Spirit bless, direct and pr per thi ship, and all who sail in her n w and always. Amen

Read by Principa l h pl a in B. Rayner OAM, RAN (Cath li )

May th bl ss in , or /\ In i d1ty od, the Father, th . ) 11 <111 I lh l lo ly pirit descend up 1 thi s ship :1 11 d illl who ·ai l in her, and r n 'ttn il lt lltl' tlt I(H· • r. ;\men.

Pn ay(•r for ~he Ship

I ·nd h I tl ' lll 'IWnt tntnander Dryden, P N (I ··. l' ' til i < ITic r, HMAS Ballarat)

t•: tl ' t ll :tl < lod , h · lp u to live in peace and h:q ptlll '.',' :t. · w s rv You, and our country, :t. ' 11H'tlll wr.· ol'thi Ship ' s Company. Enable W~ lu ll' \ Otlhy f those WhO serve with US ,

:t '"I , ' :111 I us a willing spirit to fulfil wlwl · ., dulie rnay be given us . May we :d I hl·lp one another in true charity, and ' It ·tt ottr life's work is done may we all til l' ·I npain and find true rest in the eternal h:tpp11t ·ss of Your presence. Through Jesus ( 'l11 t. 'l, Our Lord. Amen.

'llu• Naval Hymn (S 1111 p hy al l) Led by Able Seaman T. Burke

l•: t ' l ll ill Father, strong to save, Whos ·ann hath bound the restless wave, Who l idd ' st the mighty ocean deep,

15

Its own appointed limits keep : 0 hear us when we cry to thee, For those in peril on the sea. 0 Trinity of love and power, Our brethren shield in danger' s hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe ' er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee, Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Prayer on behalf of the people of the City of Ballarat Read by Chaplain J. McSweeney RANR

Benediction Read by Principal Chaplain B. Rayner OAM, RAN

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all and those who sail in HMAS Ballarat, now and forever. Amen.

Commissioning Pennant broken, Australian White Ensign and Australian National Flag hoisted

Ship's Company marches onboard

Cheer Ship

Address by Commanding Officer

Address by Guest of Honour

Commanding Officer piped onboard HMAS Ballarat

Reception Commences

Commissioning 13y .L'£/l/1 1~en Yael( J{orner

Commissioning is a tnotnentous event that marks the introduction of a ship into servi ce for the Royal Australian Navy. Th e cotnmissioning ceremony took place on the evening of Saturday 26 June 2004 t Melbourne's Docklands. For those unfan1ili ar with Melbourne, this is a recently d v I p I area on the very edge of the c ity pr p r, with the CBD and the Telstra Dotne nly a short walk away. The Melbourne skyline pr vid I 'l stunning backdrop on this cool aututnn ni >ht as Ballarat hoisted the Australi an Whit Ensign for the very first time. The exten ivc ly planned commissioning ceren1ony wa . executed superbly and the subsequ e nt reception was enjoyed by all.

Official guests at the event included: Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill the Vice Chief of Defence Force, Vice Admiral Shalders the Chief of Navy, V ADM Ritchie the Marititne Commander, RADM Gates

FROM : ACTION: ORGI ATORS DTG:

HMAS PARRAMATTA NUSHJP BALLARAT 25 1400Z JUN 04

SUBJ : COMMISSlO I G OF HMAS BA LLA RAT

Doctor Susanna Herd, Cotnmissioning Lady and Guest of Honour Robert Herd, President of the Victorian IMAS BALLARAT Association MDR Donald Dykes (Retd), President of

the New South Wales BALLARAT !\ ciation and only rema1n1n g

mtnanding Officer of BALLARAT 1 vid Vendy, Major of Ballarat.

'I h 'hi f of the Defence Force, General nt the following message to the

~ M y the good ship HMA S 1 ~/\ LL/\R/\ nd all those who sail in her nw l ' a li s tingui hed and valiant contribution to th Ro nl Au tralianNavy'.

[ ur in , ·ommiss i ning ceremonies it is usual r )r on I I h • C 'on n nding Officer and platoon om nw 11d ·rs lo ·a lute when the National

/\nth 111 is pl :1 ' I t the raising of the Ensign . But f'or our < 'ommi s i ning the Commanding Offi r ·: 111 · I l'or ·til tnembers of the ship' s

FROM: ACTION: ORGINATORS DTG:

111 :111 lo .· :tlut t gether. This symbolism XI r ·ss ·d lh :tl ry ingle crew member has

an imporl :11ll ·onlri ution to make and that we 'H' lo nil i1do1t our own sense of r s1 otl. ·il ilil low·trd BALLARAT.

No\ , 1111<l ·1 Ill · m ll of 'Defend the Flag', it is I \;\ I I P T 's turn to establish a reputation ·ts h ·i 11 p :111 ' lllhusi tic and capable warship. II is 0111 v1 ., llwl this motto does not pertain to :111 o 11 · ll :1 , but to the beliefs associated with \ 11 :11 ·v ·r !1 ·1 you choose to identify with. 'llt l. ' 111 :1 l the Australian National Fl:q'. Ill tr. ·1r·1li n White Ensign, the /\hol'll' lll :t I or Torr Straight Islander Flag, th Hu 111 1' I :tn aroo, the Flag of the Soul II ' lit < '1 o . '.' or ny other. As we sail into our 1111 111 · II i, · not just the tnaterial flags the ·r ·w o l H LL/\ RJ\ T desires to 'defend' but

thL: h · ll l' l ~ · or ur families, friends and CO lJ 1111 Ill ' II .

Ill\ I \ : I l \ I \ IN 111\1\ 11\ 11 I 'I' 111 1110 II IN 0 1

I. TO THE M EN AN D WOM EN OF I-lM AS BA LLARAT, WE WI II YOl J I· INI· \ I· 1111 ·1 UBJ: WELCOMEOT TIII · 1·11 •1 I A DFO DMEMORI E FOR WII AT WILLBE ONEOFTH E 1RI · II S il l \ ,' IN 1111 • CONGRATULATIONS ON 1111 ~, , .I t , t~ ll · l< ' NT MILESTONE. THE RESURGENT HI STORY OF YOU R FINE IIIP. AV R THE DAY, FOR IT Wll I < i<l I· ,' I DARWIN WELCOMI ·S I I I t~ II l 1111 • I· I I ~ I ~T NO ESPECIALLY FUTURE TASKING

2. ONG RATULATI ON II AV E ACHlEVEDINAV I ~ RYS II<>I I II I· Nl > IN DEFENDING Till I· I <; IN 1111 • I II · I{ IIALF 000 L K F R Til MA Y DVEt T RE THAT LIE A HEAD I HRONICLES 12 V 1X, I II ~ I< >Ill c, I X

3. TRI K ~ D ,, P R MY ( IN HAWAII )

I~

HMAS BALLARAT's Ships Lady Dr Susanna Herd grew up in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne where the Natural History Museum was one of her favourite childhood haunts . Her moth r Mrs Dulce Herd, a talented artist, potter and quilter and her father Mr Robert I-I rd who served in Ballarat during WWII n whose interests included archae I y, physics, astronomy, theology and R 1 i'ln, together provided the opportuniti s 'In I experiences that shaped Dr H r I ' s In I r life.

Her interest in nature inspired r II r I lo attain a Bachelor of Science (Gen ti · '111 I Chemistry) at the University ofMelb urn . After completing Honours, Dr II r I commenced PhD research into the b ' I ·

defect in an inherited metabolic disea r copper metabolism, Menkes' Disease.

Post-doctoral research at La Trob University was followed by study for a Diploma of Education. Dr Herd then returned to La Tro be to lectur biochemistry and tnolecular biology. Her passion for learning has continued as Dr Herd is currently studying Intellectual Property Law with particular reference to the biotechnical industry.

II ' r r·1th r, Mr Robert Herd, a Naval ar ·hil ·t < r c n iderable world acclaim is lh lon, lim President, Secretary and Tr t~sur r f the HMAS Ballarat Asso ·i:1lion.

Dr II ·rd "N 'ltncd ', and Launched Ballarat :tl Tvtti · I) ·r-nce' Williamstown dockyard 011 Mn 2002 . Dr Herd is also the , '!tip .· < '01nmi ioning Lady.

I >1 Il l rd and her husband, Mr David I >:t\ ~ · o11 ~ have four daughters Sophie, I Ill I. ·:t h lie and Charlotte. In her spare ltttll I > 1 II rd enjoys reading, gardening :1 11 I ~· l o1t11 J the hot clock at championship hn ~ · l 1 h:d I matches.

17

BALLARAT Crest Offic ial Badge

Badge Description- On a black background a red Trident enfiled with a gold Palisado Crown.

Badge Blazon - Sable (Black); a Trident palewise; Gules (red) , enfiled with Palisado Crown, or (gold).

Badge Motto - 'Defend the Flag

'Ballarat or Ballaarat?'

One of the 1nost often asked que ·tio t s is 'Do you spell Ballarat with four a' , r thr a's?' It is generally accepted that lh n'lm ca1ne from two aboriginal word ign ifyin) a camping or resting place- 'Balla' mean in) reclining on the elbow and 'Arat' tnean in ) place. The first white settler (1 3 7), Scots1nan Archibald Yuille, called hi s property 'Ballarat'. We cannot know how 'l Scotsman pronounced an aboriginal word but in 1851 another Scot officially surveyed the area and recorded the town's na1ne a Ballaarat. When the first local paper arrived in 1854 it was called the 'Ballarat Ti1nc ' (perhaps the typesetter ran out of a's).

Official government documents used the double a spelling and successive loc'l l councils varied the number of a's according to the prevailing fashion of the time. Pri r

to arnalgarnation of the councils in 1994, the municipality of the City of Ballaarat was the official spelling for the Council, though the

fficial spelling for place name purpo e (then comprised of several 1nunicipalitie ) wa Ballarat. When the new single Ballarat

i ty Council was gazetted in 1994 the ingle a version was adopted for the

rp ration, to align it to the area's place­nan1e. Thus, both spellings were legiti1nate 'll different times in the city's history and 'a n li II be seen on buildings and in hi l rica! I iterature.

N '1 vy records indicate that HMA S B A L A RAT has always been spelt with thr '1 's.

!Jal~t!, and De ign History

Nit r · rd suggest that HMAS I~AI ,LARA I had two unofficial badges:

:1) H:tll :tr:tt I badge designed on the City of H:d l:t:t rn t S '11.

h) A hoot It nt n ) I utched in the centre by a ltn11d t't tl oiTj tsl above the wrist with a hIt 1 • I :t • k 1' ro u n I.

111 I<)(>(> :til ol'l 1 ·i:tl l t1 lg was approved for IlMA S H LLARAT. 'I h design focusing 011 · I ' Ill ' Ill S or B·lllar'll '. Coat of Arms (;,tw{lr I d in 195() 'l n I 'ily cal. These

18

·I ·ttll'ltl. ' ' ·r · th s icll , garb, miners pick itlld . ·It o ·I. II ow v r , this badge was ll l'tl lt ·1 dt:t\ 11 tq n r manufactured.

A ':ti 1t itt I <> I th subject of BALLARAT's I :td)'L ' :1.; 1:1 i. · I. ll was decided to focus on B: tll :11 :11 ' ,· l<l\ n hi lory. The main focus hL·ill)' Ill · ' l' l ·t r led miner's revolt at Put ·In ~' to ·I :1 I . With this inspiration two tlttliJ' ·' ·: 1111 to n ind: the Stockade and the l ~ lltl'k:t l•' ln p. Th tockade was chosen in 1:1 otll n l lit llag. Working on this theme tltl' II .' . or ' I Palisado Crown, which r ·pt ·:'Ill. ' n 1 ·IIi ade (stockade), was chosen ttn d In tl' pr s nl the Navy (sea) the Trident Wit. ' nd d d. he motto suggested was "I> ·ll' 11d til Fl g'.

011 ' I 0 ·to r 1980 the Chief of Naval S I :tiT o ITi · i 'Illy approved the badge and m o Ito l'o r HMAS BALLARAT II. BALLA R A' now wears this badge with ho11our, 1 ri I nd tradition.

Commissioning Crew

1 1)

Commissioning Crew CMDR D.J. Hunter, CSC RAN

Lieutenant Con11nander S.G. Dryden, RAN

Lieutenant Com1nander D.M Walter, RAN

Lieutenant Cotnmander B.S. Steele RAN

Lieutenant Comtnander L.A. Volz, RAN

Lieutenant A.R.M. Barnes, RAN

Lieutenant Cotn1nander D.J. MacNamara, RAN

Lieutenant P. Annitage, RAN

Lieutenant P.W. Delany, RAN

Lieutenant K.B. Fairbrother, RAN

Lieutenant L.J. Godwin, RAN

Lieutenant E.J. Gralton, RAN

Lieutenant P. Hay, RAN

Lieutenant B. Horner, RAN

Lieutenant B. Reilly, RAN

Lieutenant C.E. Rhodes, RAN

Lieutenant J.P. Von Stieglitz, RAN

Sub Lieutenant B. Bundy, RAN

Sub Lieutenant C.J. de Bono, RAN

Sub Lieutenant L.K. Kormany, RAN

Sub Lieutenant A.N. Pearson, RAN

Midshipmen A. Breckell, RAN

Warrant Officer A.W. Roach

Chief Petty Officer A.C. Anderson

Chief Petty Officer A.C. Dennis

Chief Petty Officer M.J. Hogan

Chief Petty Officer D.W. Murray

Chief Petty Officer G.A. Pope

Chief Petty Officer M.A. Pugh

Chief Petty Officer D.C. Read

hiefPetty Officer P.D. Rooke

hiefPetty Officer S.J. Shipton

hiefPetty Officer R.J. Waites

P tty Officer G.W. Anderson

P tty Officer A.J. Beales

lly Officer J.W. Blackstone

P lly Officer D. Blattner

P tly Officer B.P. Butler

P ·11 fficer B.M. Catnpbell

P ·lty fficer F.A. Coe

P ·ll y fficer J.C. Cook

P ·II fficer M.J. Cook

P ·11 fficer M.J. Coyle

P ·II ( rfi r T.A. Dack

P ·II Orli r C.C. Fava

P II Orli · r .J. Fisher

P ·II () rl i · ·r .I .J . itzgerald

P ·II < l'l i · r . , . P. ran cis

P ·tt rli c r M. . reen

20

---------------------------------P ·II < rfi , r S.G. Grenfell

I) II ()rfi r K.G. Lawton

P ·II < rfi · r D.J. Williamson

I, ·n lin, aman A.D. Bick

I ·: tdin, . tnan C.D. Bloom

mnan P.J. Boyd

I t•: tdill, , man B.G. Brereton

I ·n I in , , ~ tnan R.A. Brooksaw

aman P.D. Brown

I l'ndin, aman G.P. Clohesy

I l'n lin, atnan M.L. D'Amico

I ·:1din ,. eatnan M.J. Dunt

I t :Hiin ,. eaman B.H. Fraser

I ·: t ling Seaman D.T. Gale

I ·: t lin eaman D.A. Garrett

I , l :HI in, aman L.R. Hemphill

L n ling eaman D.M. Horton

L ·n lit g Seatnan M.I. Howarth

I ·n ling Seaman D.C. Jenkins

L ·: t ling Seaman K.C. Jordan

L ·; t ling Seaman B.W. Knox

::tdin r eatnan M.A. Langevald

L ·: t ling Seaman A.B. Lovriha

L ·:1 ling Seaman R.A. Marinas

L ·ading Seaman S.J. Martin

L n ling Seaman A.W. Maskell

Leading Sean1an C.R. McFarlane

Leading Seaman T.A. McKean

Leading Seaman L.A. McQualter

Leading Seaman C.A. McQueen

Leading Seaman L .B. Mudge

Leading Seaman S. T. N ey Ian

Leading Seaman E.J. Osborn

Leading Seaman J.E. Phair

Leading Seaman A .M. Scarfone

Leading Seaman A .J. Sherburd

Leading Seaman N .G. Stanley

Leading Seaman S.A. Taylor

Leading Seaman A.J. W ensierski

Leading Seaman A .T. Williams

Leading Seaman A.T Yamold

Able Semnan S.P. Alp

Able Seaman T.L. Anthony

Able Semnan C.I. Archibald

Able Seaman J.M. Ashley

Able Seaman B.E . Baird

Able Seaman M .L. Bell

Able Seaman E .B. Bentick

Able Seaman V .L . Best

Able Semnan M .W . Biddell

Able Seaman A.M . Black

Able Seaman A.N. Bradley

Able Seaman D.A. Brown

Able Seaman J.R .J. Carbone

Able Seaman M.B.J. Cavanagh

A l l man D .R. Cocks

I I· S 'i l ll W il A . .J . II d e

Able Seaman A. Crawford

Able Seaman J.R Cross

Able Seaman C.J. De Fontaine

Able Seaman K.M. Dennis

Able Seaman S.G. Dunstan

Able Semnan T .S.E. Eastwood

Able Seaman M .J.W. Evans

Able Seaman S.M. Fraser

Able Seaman J.A. Gardner

Able Seaman D.M. Geldard

Able Sea1nan S. Gibson

Able Semnan J.P. Guevara

Able Seaman R.M. Haynes

Able Seaman E.J. Hearsu1n

Able Seaman D.J. Hoens

Able Seaman D .A . Hooper

Able Semnan N . Hutchesson

Able Seaman D.J. Khan

Able Seaman R.H. Kneeves

Able Seaman S.C. Leon Sepulveda

Able Seaman S.J. Lindsay

Able Seaman N .J.A. Martin

Able Semnan A.G. Martinac

Able Seaman N .S. Matthews

Able Seaman O.J. Matthews

Able Seaman M .F. McMullen

Able Seaman A.S. Minney

Able Seaman B.M. Morgan

Able Sea1nan D.M. Nipperess

Able Seaman A. G. Norley

Able Seaman A.J. Poustie

Able Semnan S.M . R

' I

Able Seaman D.L. Rorke

Able Seatnan D. Rusling

Able Sean1an J.E.C. Sn1ith

Able Seaman T.G.T. Stanners

Able Seatnan S. . Sytnonds

AbleS atnan B.J Th tna

Able Seaman A.W. T al

Able Seaman 1. 0. T wn l y

Able Seatnan A.P. Trudgian

Able Seaman M.M. Turn r

Able Semnan D.S. Tynan

Able Semnan S.R. Willi atn

Able Seaman P.D. William n

Able Seaman S. Ze iher

Seaman C.M . Blake

Semnan H.E. Brown

Semnan C.W. De Sain

Semnan D.C. Dredg

Semnan K.J. Dugg n

Seaman C.A. G ih

Seaman S. . Jl"'l lll

Seaman .J. I II

Semnan Ham ish M <' IIII H ,

S am a n I. ( ; . 1\!l u 111 1 It II

'11 1i l1 1 I' r\ I Nt" Ill ' • I II I : II I I \ ' 1'11111'

s '! 1111 1111 I: I IIIII I

' ·: 11 11 .I II I Ill II

' ·: II II " II I I Ill I Ill I I

Commanding Officer Commander 1J.J. Hunter, CSC, 2(.9L9{.

Commander David J. Hunter joined the Royal Australian Naval College, HMAS CRESWELL in 1980. Following completion of a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of New South Wales majoring in mathematics, Commander Hunter's initial appointments were in Fremantle Class patrol boats and Guided Missile Frigates

where he atta ined his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate.

Comma nder Hunter completed the Short Navigation Course then rejoined the patrol boat fleet in 1985 as navigating officer in HMAS GEELONG and later HMAS GLADSTONE.

In August 1987 he was appointed as Flag Lieutenant to the Maritime Commander. This period coincided with Australia's Bicentennial year and the Naval Bicentennial Salute.

Commander Hunter returned to frigates in 1989 where he served as navigating officer in HMAS CANBERRA (FFG 02) for twelve months prior to commencing the RAN Principal Warfare and Long N vigation Courses at HMAS WATSON. He subsequently served in HMA Ships TOBRUK (LSH 50) nd later PERTH (DOG 38).

In July 1993 he was appointed as the RAN Bridge Si ul tor Manager at WATSON where he was respon ible for practical navigation and shiphand lin tr ining. In November 1995 he was selected for n exchange posting with the Royal Navy an join d the staff of Flag Officer Sea

22

Training based in Plymouth, UK. During this two year appointment, Commander Hunter provided instruction t sea in ships from NATO countries. He return to Australia to be appointed Executiv Officer in HMAS MELBOURNE (FFG 05) . Durin this tenure MELBOURNE completed oper ti n I loyments to the Arabian Gulf and E st Tim r.

In J lly 1 Commander Hunter was appointed to th 1\N S a Training Group, initially as the I t '1 nsh ip Officer, and then from

N v ml 1 1 99 as the Fleet Executive Officer. In M'lY ?. 2 he was awarded a Chief of Navy Com m n I tion and in January 2003 a C n picu u Service Cross.

C mrnnn I r Hunter's most recent appointment wrt n mander Operations in Maritime

'l I !WHl r where he served until August

Hi inl 1 l include all codes of football, cricket, s Ln 11 , If, chess, viticulture and stamp co li tin . He and his wife Trish have three chi I II 11 ; ter (July 1994), Jessica (October 1 ) nd Natasha (January 1999).

Executive Officer

Lieutenant Cotnmand r t Jl 11 I 1 d ·11 1ultH d lltl I' N ill I <>X7. Commencing training at th J\.ustr:.lli;tll I> ·k1H h11t · l':td ·1ny, he graduated with a Bache! r )r · · i11 tl :. tll:tjllt i111' Ill Economics and Management. Aft r 'r;Hht:llttl)' itt I'> X'J , Ill completed sea training in a vari ty or It'll· ·I l lllil:~ I til lt~d111) deploying in HMA Ships SUC ' (tlld I >PI II >Jo' lor Operation DAMASK I. Following th '' :11d ol lw. HW<' i. IIKI

subsequent endorsement, the newly ron1ol d I tt ttl ' lt :tltl Dryden served briefly as an Instructor at the RAN< ' h ·I till 1o i11in, IlMAS CESSNOCK as the Executive Offic r.

De iring to broaden his experience, Lieutenant Dryden v lunteered for intelligence training and in 1995 cotntnenced an app intment as a Marititne Intelligence Watch Officer in the then M'lr itime Intelligence Centre-Sydney. In 1997 he re utned his s 1g in g career cotntnencing A/PWO training in f MAS Mh OURNE. Lieutenant Dryden completed PWO training in 1998. A Surface Warfare and Cotnmunications speciali t, he ·o mtnenced an appointment as the Signals Communicati n Officer HMAS BRISBANE in early 1999. Lieutenant Dryden rcn ained in BRISBANE, assu1ning CTG OPSO duties in late 2 0 and being promoted to Lieutenant Commander in January 2 0 I . After the decotnmissioning of BRISBANE, he was posted 'l a tnember of the Directing Staff at the PWO Faculty HMAS WATSON. In this appointlnent he was the lead instructor in

urface Warfare, Electronic Warfare, Communications and lnfonnation Systems and Intelligence. In 2003 Lieutenant Cotnmander Dryden joined Maritime Headquarters (OPS DIY) the Deputy Director Maritime Con11nunications and Infonnati n Systetns (N63). In mid-2003 Lieutenant Commander Dryden W'lS

appointed as the Commissioning Executive Officer of II M !\. .'

BALLARAT, joining her in Decetnber 2003. Lieutenant Comtnander Dryden is married to Julie and th y hct il

young son, Andrew

Heads of Department ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Marine T:ngineering Officer

LCDR David Walter joined the RAN in 1991 , and gradu:tll'd l1n 111 Ill · Australian Defence Force Academy in 1994 with " 1\:tl IH · Io l or Engineering (Mechanical Engineering). He e ntcr ·d 1111111 111 )' n l

CERBERUS to complete the Marine Engineering Ap1 li ·nt Hlll < ', 111 :: · before positing to SYDNEY as the Assistant Marine ngittL'l'll ll )' <> lil t l' l

This posting concluded with him obtaining his Mari n Elt)'llll 1 < H l1 1 ' I

Certificate of Competency in 1996. He was then posted as tht <>I< ' u l Ill · Marine Engineering Application Course, a course he ils :1 1111 11tl1 ' I u 11 only 18 months earlier. LCDR Walter in 1998 return ·d to •, :r " l l ll' Deputy Marine Engineering Officer of DARWIN. How ·1 1111' ]Ill .111 1)'

was cut short due to an unfmiunate sporting accident, and IlL· ' ,, 1 ], ' 11 cl to a shore posting at FIMA Perth, until 1999. This time h · JLIIIIII c1 111 1" as the Deputy Marine Engineer Officer of the latest AN ZA< ' <'It , ' l11p HMAS ARUNTA. In 2001 LCDR W a lter pa ed th M(ll'lll l I 11 •11111 1 Officer Qualification Board, which qua lifi I him l ngin r hi. 11 11 lltp

n expenen h got fi da s lat r \ ll ·n It · ' :ts pos t d lo II dtn •1 tplllt

Ships LEEUWIN and MEVILLE in Red Crew. After completing two years as the Engineering Officer, he was selected to be the Marine Engineering Officer to bring BALLARAT into Naval Service.

Weapons Tiectrica{ t£ngineering Officer

LCDR Broughton Steele commenced his career at the Australian Defence orce Academy on its opening in 1986. Graduating in 1990 with a

Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical), this was followed by a series of training courses preceding his first sea-posting in HMAS SWAN for

nsolidation. For two years, LCDR Steele then experienced a series of h rt duration shore postings, ranging from Project Management in Navy ffice through to being a Divisional Officer in the Technical Training

ar a. From 1995 to mid-1996 LCDR Steele was posted to HOBART as the

y l 1 n ineer Officer, followed by a shore posting as an 0 r tions

Research Officer in the DSTO Organisation. This posting was concluded in late-1998 with a recall to sea in HMAS PERTH as her last Deputy Weapons Electrical Engineer Officer. LCDR Steele was then placed in Charge of the C01nbat System Maintenance School until 2001, which brought a promotion to LCDR and a posting to the Maritime Com1nand engineering division and sea-training group. From mid-2002 to mid-2003, LCDR Steele then studied for his Master degree, which included a period of in-country university study in China. Following successful completion of his Master degree, LCDR Steele joined BALLARAT as the Weapons Electrical Engineer Officer in January 2004.

Suppfy Officer

Lieutenant Commander Andrew (Andy) Ross McGregor Barnes was raised and educated in Ballarat, Victoria. He joined the RAN, commencing studies at the Australian :Qefence Force Acadetny in January 1991 as an Instructor Officer, changing primary qualification to Supply Officer and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree (Mathematics) in 1994. Whilst waiting to begin . 'upply Application Course (SUAC) Midshipman Barnes worked in

II 1\S HARMAN and Campbell Park Offices in Manager < 1111ftp uration Certification and Allowances (MCCA).

.,

On completion of SUAC in 1996 Sub Lieutenant Barnes returned to MCCA for 1997, working extensively on RAN usage data and developing cost estimates -[! r the purchase of spares support for the MHC Project.

In 1998 Sub Lieutenant Barne wa po ted as DSO HMAS HOBART, and then on promoti n t Lieutenant joined DNSDC Moorebank as the OIC High Priority Den1 nd ell. Thi involved managing all URDEF and signal den1and tr ffi ~ r the RAN and the initial demands for INTERFET. In 19 h und erwe nt the Supply Charge Qualifying Course and j in d HMA YON Y a DSO in January 2000. In June 2001 Lieutenant Barn tran G tT d to HMAS MANOORA to complete the DSO 0111peten y g and successfully completed the Supply Charge Board in Oct ber 2 I. Lieutenant Barnes then posted ashore to HMAS W AT Rll N t) manage the financial purchase of spares support for the M D M , predotninantly sparing the MHC squadron. He then p t d t HQJLC in Victoria Barracks Melbourne in October 2002 an I worked within the J3 (Operations) and J5 (Plans) direct rat ){ HQJLC, fanning part of the logistic planning for the upply hain into, and later the withdrawal from, Iraq. Lieutenant Barne j in I NUSHIP BALLARAT as its comn1issioning Supply Offi r in Decetnber 2003, and was promoted to Lieutenant Com1nand ron I January 2005.

Commissioning Crew ================================================================

Lieutenant Commander Dominic MacNamara, RAN

Principle Warfare Officer

Lieutenant Kerry Fairbrother, RAN Signals Communication Officer

Sub Lieutenant Chris de Bono, RAN Officer of the Watch

Operations 'lJepartment - Officers ~--------------~

Lieutenant Phillipa Hay, RAN Principle Warfare Officer

Li ul n nl Jason Von Stieglitz, RAN /\ir Intercept Controller

Sub Li ulenant Annalise Pearson, RAN Assistant Officer of the Watch

26

Li

I I ul nant Ben Horner, RAN 1\ isl nt Officer of the Watch

Midshipmen Aaron Breckell, RAN Assistant Officer of the Watch

Marine f£ngineering fJJepartment

Petty Officer Gordon Anderson 1/C MEO 2 - Environmental Services

Lieutenant Edmund Gr llon, RAN Deputy Marine Engin rin Offic r

Chief Petty Officer Gl n P p 1/C Platform Sysl rn

Petty Officer Stephen Fish r 1/C MEO 1 -Propulsion

28

Marine f£ngineering rJJepartment

Sub Lieutenant Ben Bundy, RAN Assistant Engineering Officer

Chief Petty Officer Darren Read 1/C Propulsion Systems

Petty Officer Patrick Francis 1/C ME04- Hull

Petty Officer Martin Green 1/C MEO 3- High Power

J

J1

Leading Seaman Peter Boyd MEO 4- Hull

Leading Seaman Sam Martin MEO 2 - Environmental Services

Able Seaman Edward Bentick DC Yeoman

Leading Seaman Peter Brown MEO 4 - Hull

I 1 t~d 11q 1 1 1111.111 .1.1 1 Mel tlll ll ll

Ml : 111vlln11111t 11LII 1 1 IVIc

Able Seam n Michael Biddell MEO 2 - Environmental Services

29

Marine f£11£Jineeri11£1 tiJepartment

ding Seaman Ben Fraser MEO 3- High Power

Leading Seaman Shaun Taylor MEO 4- Hull

Able Seaman Andr w Bl ck MEO 3 - High Power

Leading Seaman Adam Lovriha MEO 1 - Propulsion

Able Seaman James Ashley MEO 1 - Propulsion

Able Seaman Jason Carbone MEO 3- High Power

Able Seaman Murray Cavanagh MEO 1 -Propulsion

Able Seaman Jeremy Smith Tanky

Able Seaman Nathaniel Martin MEO 3- High Power

Able Seam( 11 /\ncl1 w I I MEO 2 - Environm ,nlnl

Seaman ian Moncri ff MEO 2- Environmental S rvices

30

Marine f£ngineering tJJepartment

Able Seaman Stephen Dunst n MEO 3- High Power

Able Seaman Paul Will iamson MEO 1 - Propulsion

Able Seaman Bradley Thomas MEO 4- Hull

Able Seaman Ryan Haynes MEO 4- Hull

Able Seaman Jimmy Cross MEO 4- Hull

Seaman Daniel Thomson MEO 3 - High Power

Operations f})epartment- Communications & Injonnation Systems

Leading Seaman Craig Bloom

Able Seaman ian Townley

Chief Petty Officer Andrew Dennis CIS Manager

Abl S 'llll:IIIAIIItilllll .u llt y

Seaman Carlos Ga il

P lly ffrc 1 I 1111 n Williamson y 0 1111111

Allie S man Christina Archibald

Seaman Daniel Kelly

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Leading Seaman Carol McQueen

Able Seaman Sarah Fraser

S ' 11111111 r ndan Philp

Abl S m n David Rusling

Able Seaman Sheree Symonds

Leading Seaman Lee McQua lter

Petty Officer Bruc C mpbell Combat Syst ms Sup rvi sor

Leading Seaman Ash I y i k

Leading Seaman Alee Scarfone ASAC

Operations tJJepartment - Com6at Systems Operators

Chief Petty Officer Scott Shipton Combat Systems Manager

Lead ing Seaman Ben Brereton EWL

Lead in< S lllllt 11 Anthony Sherburd

32

Petty Offic r Mich I Coyle Combat Syst rns Supervisor

Leading S rn n D vid Jenkins

Leading So m n N il Stanley ASJ\C

Leading Seaman Edward Osborn

Operations 'lJepartment - Com6at Systems Operators

Able Seaman Brenton B ir I /\ble Seaman Dwayne Cocks Able Seaman Duncan Tynan

/\Ill( 11( tllllolll i)( olll NIPIH I(' s Able Seaman Aaron Norley

Seaman Stuart Grant Seaman Kiel Duggen

Seam n llayley Brown Seam n li t mi 11 M Inn s Seaman Christian Blake

33

Leading Seaman Ben Knox

Chief Petty Officer Roderick Wail s Chief Bosun

Leading Seaman Rudsyn Millil trt•,

Able Seaman Stu 1! tliiHl

Operations rJJepartment -13osun)s Mates ~------------~~

Petty Officer Ken Lawton Bosun

/\l11t ',t t1111rm Sl ven Reig

Leading Seaman /\d rn Y'ml ld Bosun's Mate (S f ty I qui1 m nl)

Able Seaman /\nth ny M rtinac

Able Seaman Morg 'Hl I urn r

Able Seaman Jean-Paul Guevara Navigators Yeoman

ABLE SEAMAN Steve Nolan

Chief Petty Officer Michael Pugh Chief Naval Police Coxsw in

I 11 lly II Ll I .ldlll ( {,()() '

I 111 Y'I Ldl lid lllllllll '• llllt.IOI

35

Operations 1Jepartment - Misce[[aneous

Leading Seaman Dean Garrett Clearance Diver

Lead ing Seaman Thomas McKean Naval Police Coxswain

Supp{y 1Jepartment

16

Petty Officer John Blackstone Medic

l11 J' < ~1man Malcome D'Amico Cook

Lieutenant Catherine Rhodes, RAN Deputy Supply Officer

I II y II Lt 1 I t I L I y Cot ', It Wdld

Leading Seaman Linden II n1pl1ill Steward

Chief P lly lfl ..c 1 I .tllllll 1ool 1

l 1t lly (HI let 1 Jimmy Fitzgerald Chef

Leading Seaman Andrew Maskell Pay & Accounts Writer

Supp[y Vepartment

Petty Officer Andrew Beales Writer

Leading Seaman Rachael Brooksaw Naval Stores

11 lin S man Luke Mudge Steward

Leading Seaman Guy Clohesy Cook

Leading Seaman Sean Neylan Naval Stores

Able Seaman Daniel Geldard Cook

Able Seaman Melissa McMullen Steward

Able Seaman Teri Anthony Cook

Able Seaman David Hoens Cook

Able Seaman Alex Minney Cook

Able Seaman Vicky Best Steward

Able Seaman Dennis Khan Naval Stores

Able Seam n Adam Poustie Cook

38

Supp[y 1Jepartment

Able Seaman Melissa Bell Medic

Able Seaman S nyn I on Sepu lveda Sl We rd

Able Seaman Suz nnah Zeiher Writer

Able Seaman Kate Dennis Steward

Able Seaman Owen Matthews Naval Stores

Weapons Tlectrica[ f})epartment

39

Petty Officer Charli I v· WE04 - Armament

hi ·r P ·II Ollll ' l' l 111111,11 )

I\( I ' I ' 'Il l I

1/' 'o1llrol 11 1HI 111111111111

I,, lly ( II ILt I ', 1111111 (Ill 1111 II WI()' Al llllllllll l. llltll '

Lieutenant Peter Armitage, RAN Systems Engineering Officer

Petty Officer Brett Butler WE01 -Sensors

I 1 mlln< S rl lllWll (lVi Horton WE03 - C2 & CS

40

Weapons f£.fectrica[ rJJepartment

Sub Lieutenant Lee Kormany, RAN Assistant Weapons Electrical

Engineering Officer

Petty Offlc r Ml ,h, I Cook WE03 C/ & I CS

Leading Seaman Kasey Jordan WE02 - Communications

Petty Officer Troy Dack WE01 - Sensors

Leading Seaman Mick Langevald WE02 - Communications

Leading Seaman Jim Phair WE04 - Armament

Able Seaman Stuart Gibson WE02- Communications

Able Seaman Sarah Lindsay WE04 - Armament

Leadin S f11lHll1/\lliiHlllY

lllllq dll

WI 0~ 1\lllldllH 111

/\hit 111 11111111 dw Uti llr II' IIIII

Willi '1111111'

Able Se 1111111 Ill .tdlt y Morgan w 01 1 11 11 ',01

Weapons Tlectrica[ 1Jepartment

I n lin Seaman Anita W nsierski

W 03 - C2 & FCS

Able Seaman Daniel Hooper WE01 -Sensors

Able Seaman Scott Williams WE03- C2 & FCS

Able Seaman Simon Alp WE04 - Armament

Able Seaman Rohan Kneeves WE02 - Communications

Seaman Craig De S in WE03 - C2 & FCS

June 2004

June saw the Cotnmissioning preparations go into overdrive with a wide range of objectives having to be completed prior to the ceremony. Mr Mick Malthouse, th e coach of Collingwood Football Team, and a Ballarat boy himself, visited the ship on 8 June to itnpart his expertise in effecti vc leadership and creating a cohesive temn. II is words were inspirational and provided a welcome lift to the pressure ol Commissioning and preparations for goin ) to sea.

I I( r · th metnory of the famous AFL '0(1 • h s' w rd faded the pressure was back

on nnd tl hip's company were working llil rd tow·1rd being ready for the Marititne 'o rnnwnd r inspection followed by the

( 'ornrno I re of Flotillas inspection. Even ilh nil th ton, BALLARAT was still able

I o 1' ' I s tne of her crew qualified in dv111oliti( n and host an Official Reception lo r p 'OI I who had provided significant .·11pporl t( hip the ship fro1n the Ballarat P l'1' roll , T nix and Williamstown.

42

After being successful in meeting the Maritime Commanders and Commodore Flotillas' inspection standards, BALLARAT had a few days to complete the post refit afety udit and to prepare for the Light

Off xa1 in 'lti n ( ). The LOE was the fi r t u b t n t i a I 1 r 'l t i a I s men t of the hip inc d livery. hi

20 June and its purpo e w t d t rmine if the ship's machinery, emergen y pr dures and personnel ship knowledge wer t the required level to proceed to sea.

At the conclusion of the LOE, BALLARAT conducted a fast cruise - which is where the ship simulates going to sea to prove the watch and station bill. On completion of the fast cruise BALLARAT proceeded to the dynamic environment of the sea for the next major practical assessment, the Sea Safety Training Period (SSTP). The purpose of the SSTP was to allow ship's company t demonstrate to the Sea Training Group that we were able to take the ship to ,"l r · l a nd that if an etnergency o · ·urr ·d BALLARAT would be a I to lwn II · th · ituation. BALLARA su · · ·d ·d und was

deemed ready t tc s ' l an I ·ontit u' h r training t ward s b ·oming 'l rir t la warf: r platG rm. II w ver b :D re that, was the p g to Docklands for the commissioning ceretnony and the passage under the Bolte Bridge.

Me lbourne turned on some of its best winter w ather on the 23 June with wind speeds f up to 35kts . This provided to be a probletn w ith the planned arrival of the ship :1l ong ide Victoria wharf, Docklands in th :1 rt rnoon. As fate would have it 1~;\ LARAT was unable to attempt the p1l o tage due to the winds, which proved to

<H I in our favour because an accident 111 re d on the Bolte Bridge and I I ;\ RAT would not have been able to

1 1 111yway .

However the taste of di app inltn nt wa soon forgotten when th a I lr p f Melbourne's light w r firs t n ti · I ' l S w passed underne th th .. I It Bri I ) . h spectacle of a W'lrshil nt rin ) lh · Vi et n a Harbour d ·I lnnd s w ns som ll in g beh ld.

ll · ;tlo11 11 ,' id ' tit ' l'o ' li S turn ed t the ·olllllli ,'. ·io lllll 1' · ·r ' III OII Y ·1n I th n1yriad of

:1rr:11 l1 1 L' IIll' ll l. ' :t. ·sor iil t ·d w ith thi event. H LL P 'I \ :t. · mo r · Iii c a Broadway produ ·tion tlt:tll :t Wil rship. All of Ships

1

(Hl11 f. lll r ·h ·: trs · I lo r 2 days and it rc · til I in ~ Ill tra 'lga nt ceremony highlighted y th · · ity o r Me lbourne at dusk. An ffici·1l r · 1 li )n G !lowed where the family and gu s ls f hip ' s Cotnpany were entertained by 'l cere monial sunset performed by RAN band members .

Sunday saw BALLARAT open her gangway to the general public. 1641 people braved the cold, sotne waiting up to 3 hours, t tour ship enjoying insights to the ( perations room, living quarters, boarding 1 'lrty and small ann displays and the crowd ra urite the Kaman Super Sea prit h I i pter.

4.

BALLARAT departed Victoria wharf on 28 June and berthed at Station pier Port M !bourne in preparation for a family sea day n the 29 June before making her first voyage up the coast to make her home at Fleet Base East, Sydney.

Commissioning Ball The Ship's Ball Committee was formed shortly before the formal delivery of the ship fro1n Tenix. In early March 2004 under the charge of Lieutenant Kerry Fairbrother and supported by Lieutenant Catherine Rhodes, POET Shane Grenfell, POCIS 'Bungy' Williamson, LSWTR Andy Maskell, LSCIS Carol McQueen, ABMED Melissa Bell, ABSTD Kate Dennis, and Mrs Julie Dryden, we were off and running.

During the first meeting venues, dates, fund raising ideas and themes were actively discussed. The fundraising commenced with a fundraising BBQ and 100 Club, hosted by POCIS Williams and LSCIS McQueen.

With limited funds available to subsidise the cost to the metnber, fundraising and sponsorship were given a high priority. Both Lieutenants ventured into 'Andy Barnes' territory to source support.

Delivery of the ship provided an excellent fundraising idea - fast 'fat' food to the masses at standeasy! Di1n sims, potato cakes (or scallops), chiko rolls, spring rolls , pies and sausage rolls were sold at reasonable prices. Such sales were always supported by the PT who was never far away to offer fitness advice (and assist with

13y LSWI!i{YLndy9vfask!-ff the d m I ilion of n1any din1 si1ns and other tnain of either 'Pri1ne fillet of Beef on vari u ' h l itetns!). Potato Rosti and Red wine jus and Bernaise

Frid 'lY July 2004 was set as the date for lh '111 nd the venue would be Dockside.

urth r, the Ball would take on a formal s tti1 g with the evening being tagged as the ' '( rnmi ioning Ball' - a night for the 'r w. After 1nuch campaigning by LSWTR

/\n ly Ma kell, the theme 'A Touch of 1 o I I, w chosen to add a touch of I , ' In · and encompass the spirit of the

>o l IIi I Is, and that of Eureka.

On (Ill ning with weather 1nore typical of a M ll o urn etting, pre-dinner drinks and 'illl <lp ·s w re served from 1830 on the l a I ·o 11 ( v rlooking Cockle Bay and D<1rlin' llarb ur. As the wind and rain ·o nl i 1111 I, th ballroom was unveiled for ·Ill. .l :t ·k ·Is shi lding partners from the

I 11' · 11 I.· ' r re1noved and the ballroom qui · k I l'i II I. ue ts were greeted with a s li I· .' It o\ or ass rted photographs of the ship'.' t'0 111pi 111 rr 111 the very early days to th r \. 'Ill ,' II •• 'SS or the Cotmnissioning.

'lit· < 'o ltlltt :llt li11' fficer, Commander D:1 i I 1111111 ' I lolltt :dl w lco1ned the ship's ·onli WII :111 I lit ir 111 sts. On conclusion, linn ·r was s ' r I. L inn r · )11 i ted of a

44

Sauce ' or 'Roast breast of Chicken filled with Mushroom Ragout on a Vegetable Frilta ta ' . For dessert the options were ' II z I nut Charlotte with Coffee Cream' or

Litne Tart with King Island

"I h , nd played, and was supported by the r s i I nl DJ who kept the dance floor alive with n rgy as the evening quickly passed. Th r w r o1ne itnpressive and some not so im1 r ss ive movers and shakers on the ltt n · · llo r, nd orne who didn't care if the

musi · w: ts pi ying or not! After almost four 'l<tst so rt 'S, th band finished their last set and tit · · ·nin r adly dr w to a close.

/\11 lllt o iTi r i:d ;tl't rparty ~ II wed for those still :tl It• to 1 nrl . F r n1ost the evening pro ·d too 11111 ·h ·tnd rnany went their own s p: tr: tl t· ' n s h·1ving, from all accounts,

nj o ·d lit · · 1 i ng immensely.

11 d ' IW rl i ng the look of hope (and w :1r i11 ·ss ! uld be clearly seen in the eye or lit · >u ts as they carried their b lon ' ill' S, door prizes, and their rnini gold p·1ns itll were hoping forth ir wn touch

f >o l I i1 th future

July 2004 As Melbourne became a haze on the horizon and the cotnmissioning now just a memory BALLARAT and her crew set their sights for their new hon1e, berth number 5 Fleet Base East Sydney and getting prepared for their Sea Qualification Trials. BALLARAT pulled into scenic Eden for amtnuniti ning and ~ r the first time in quite a whil the wannth of the NSW sun shined upon Ollt

backs. Unfortunately work had to hL' do11 · and the weather could n t b 'njo L'd to rl .' full extent. After being load ·d 11p wrllt amtnunition BALLARAT ct S(ti I lor I II · final leg to Sydney, along the w" :1 k\\ exercises were conducted to raUl I h · ·:q' · and get the focus in the right direction.

, ydney provided a perfect wint r's d:t :1 .'

the backdrop as BALLARJ\. rourakd I Ill' heads and entered Sydney on a tu rd:t \ '" .July 04. Family and friends were lh rL' to !'reel us alongside as BALLARAT do ·ked lor the first time in Sydney. Once alongsid · it was ti1ne clean up so leave would b l' ranted.

I\ LLARAT stayed alongside Sydney for I Ii \VL'e k so as to finish the administrative

j\111 ·ments for the upcotning sea trials and 1 II 1 I he Ship's Cotnmissioning Ball. A

r 11 h Channels 7 Breakfast show

'Sunris , :tlso vcntuated to tnake stars of m ·r w m mbers. The Cotntnissioning

B·tll w:ts held on Friday the 9th July. The Ball cornrnitt · ,'s tireless efforts paid off on tilL' ni dtt ' ith an extravagant ball being hosiL·d :11 Dockside Cockle Bay Wharf 1>:111111 1' ll:trhour. A good time was had by :til :11HI ' ith the elegant dresses being worn h lhL· Indies and the dapper suits by the )'l'ltls it could have been tnistaken for an

rrll:llll 1:1shion launch. Ships co1npany and tlwrr l'IIL'sts partied well into the night and it \\ ·' · :1 11 t t i ng end to the Con11nissioning ph:r . L' .

1\ I n11d:r morning saw reality arrive and HAL I !\ R J\ T sailed for week one of Sea < >11:tl111ca tion Trials. BALLARAT i' lll I' IlL' L'd down to the Eastern Austral ian I· l ' l l' I~L' !\rca off the South coast of NSW :trul : l:t11l'd putting the crew and the ship IIII<HI)'It lheir paces.

W 11 II the weather turning foul and a big ea IH 1111' L' perienced the crews sea legs wer ll'.-ll'd L':trly on and the sick bay was d ing il

hr i:l lr:tde in seasick tablets. How r pl'opk worked through it and the first w ·ck 'IHIL·d up being very successful with 111:111

· l'trises cotnpleted and out ·o m ·s "rlti · cd. S01ne of the exercises in ·lud ·d

ditched helicopter procedures, anti subtnarine warfare, firing of the 5-inch gun in anti air warfare and air warfare defence tested by RAAF Hornets and F 111 jets, which was quite a spectacle. BALLARAT also spent a day within Jervis Bay to conduct an emitter trial and practice a tninefield transit, which tests the skills of even the tnost adept Navigators.

The week was spent in defence watches, which 1neant Ships Company worked 6 hours on 6 hours off the entire week. So combined with the poor weather all of the ships company were getting tired and looking forward to the weekend and when leave was piped on Friday there was no procra ti nati ng because all knew that the econd week would be just as busy.

W eel 2 began n the 19th with a dash up to Coolangatta to rendezvous with HMAS WESTRJ\.LIA for a day practicing r 'plcnishmcnt at sea procedures. The w ·ather had not itnproved and if anything lwd becon1e worse. WESTRALIA sent son1c photo's showing BALLARAT's bow subn1erged into a wave. The day spent with W ESTRALIA began early and finished late and every person onboard was entitled to say they worked hard. Unfortunately due to

some technical difficulties with WESTRALIA's rig only one hook up was successful, though overall the day achieved n1any objectives.

Due to the strenuous nature of the work done with WESTRALIA Wednesday was conducted as a half-day, Saturday sea routine, to allow ships co1npany to get sotne rest whilst transiting back to the exerci e areas off Jervis Bay. As the sun set and the weather began to clear Ships Company w r treated to a BBQ on the flight deck co I d by the officers and the hangar wa ' temporarily converted to a cinen1a ~ r 'l

movie night.

It was back to work on Thursday with many objectives yet to be achieved. Th day began with BALLARAT practicing h r Naval Gun Support (NGS), however the 5-inch was not fired only drill runs wer conducted. The NGS was followed by an Air Warfare exercise in company with so111 RAAF Hornets. During this serial BALLARAT fired Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Chaff (SRBOC). SRBOC is missile a defence system which fires 1netal particles into the air to disrupt the missiles targeting radar and hence not hit the ship.

The day was co1npleted with BALLARAT undergoing her Aviation Sea Safety Assess1nent (ASSA) which qualified her to conduct helicopter operations. A variety of evolutions were te ted uch a launching and recovering, transfer ~ rward and aft and vertical replenish1nent which i imply

stores delivered by the helicopter. On co1npletion of the ASSA the Fleet training personnel were transferred to HMAS CRESWELL and BALLARAT began heading for home for a well deserved weekend.

Two weeks down of Sea trials and only one t go as BALLARAT sailed for the now fan1iliar territory of the exercise areas off Jervis Bay. The trip down was spent c nducting an IFF trial. IFF is a radio fr quency that Identifies Friend or Foe (IFF). The planned Surface shoot was c ncelled so BALLARAT went to anchor within Jervis Bay in preparation for a full day f sound ranging on Tuesday. Once the sc und ranging was completed BALLARAT pr eded out of the bay to do some more w·nr re exercises. The departure wa ·on I u ted as a simulated mine transit t h u r h th i ti1ne BALLARAT was not a lu ·I y '1 ' the first mine transit and hit a 1nine <~n I th hip was sent to action stations tr in' to save the ship. The ship was saved <In I 1 ro · I d into the exercise areas for an anti sulnwrin xerc1se.

W dn ·sdn saw BALLARAT undertake a in ult1t · I W<lr ) ing up against a simulated

tn iss il · " lp<d I fast patrol boat. BA LA RAT s '( r d a victory over their advers<l r I u t su fT red so1ne collateral damage, whi ·h t st I th Ships Co1npany being ab l · to d ·;tl with multiple scenarios. The day was I 111 I 'I su c s and the 3 weeks r s 'l tri 1 have d finitely ilnproved the ship llective skill .

46

Wednesday saw the 1najority of the bjectives co1npleted and BALLARAT

pr ded to anchor in Jervis bay for a ' I rt day to be held at HMAS

R 4 W LL against the Naval College. h I y wa a welcome opportunity to

str t h lh leg and have a run in the sun. , port s in lu d were touch football, soccer, l <I s k t l <Ill , v II ey ball and softball. When Ships 'om1 'tny were finished displaying t h i r il t hI t i · ·I iII or lack their of, the 1111 ·h >r w<ls w igh d and BALLARAT was ho111 ·w:1r I und.

August 2004

August was another exciting month for the new kid on the wharf. The first two weeks were spent alongside Fleet Base East (FBE - Garden island) with tnany of the crew taking a few days leave as this would b their last opportunity for the next G w m nth . This time was spent storing ~ r s ' il ,

Ia t minute training and makin sur llt :ll 1ne1nbers were individually r <I I l'ot . · :1

with many a morning p 1 t w ith tit · P'J'I lu1 annual fitness te t . !\ LL/\ R T . · t ll '

wasn't the only 1 in lr:tinin p :1,' ' · pi n t·d host to th lat st ·our.· · o l' .· llrp ,: dt v r:: ' hn u d AL /\R/\'1' 1'01 Ill ' II ll11ll • t. ll t lt training. August brought for th li rs t 1 ·nl lt :r 11 l I n1 111any of Ships Cotnpany to lin I tit ·ttt •, I a home in their new I 'llity or , ' I til '· T hough many found great n w 1 l:t · · ~: I< li ve, time was short as we set "lil l'o1 otrt sha l edown. II wa an exciting pilotage for BAL !\ R !\·I' :ts we passed USS RUSSELL (an Arl i 'It Burke Class Destroyer visiting frotn tl lln i ted States) whilst rounding Gard 1 I I 111 d. But the excitement was short liv d

'Vl rounded South Head many of th 1 1 :tga in began to remember the joys of

1 1 I ness. Once again, the first day out

aw 1 'lny m ml rs try ing to find their sea s ' ll d th ir s <ts i ·I n tablets. on t h r il rt r, t h • xecutive Officer was n to p ·t 0 11 w ith th how. Shakedown is

th • p ' I iod us · 11 ri r t work up for the ship to 11111 tllrou d1 h r drill and get the crew ' o1l i11 ' :11 1 a l p rfonnance before Sea '1' 1:11111 11)' (;r<HIJ ( th e practical trainers) :1111 ~. · lo I ·s t o ur lin1it even furth er. Our , ' lt :d vdow n in ·lu I d many arnag ntr I l', l' ll' l. 'l S :t ry in > fr 11 S ll 'lll S na ri S to wlrull- .· lt ip · o luti ons. 'l' lw l' ll 1' ill 'l' rin p d p:111111 ·nl ·onlinu I w ith llll ll ll:llllilt )' prop r:llll , :tlld \ orki ll ) lh r ur 11 1' p1111 o t .· ' illlt :111 o llt · ·r.· thro ug h the t' lllllllll) 1 o1d l' 1.: n11d pro · ·d ur s n the l1t te ll' , fli H.:t It :11 11: ' ' ·r · to, th r working \ l II I) I li t l "" () I lit . \ . I . II ,, "' I :d I 1! :11 d \ ork a · August was the Itt I "PI'' lllt llll l I o r Bi\ LARA T to visit a 1 t~ tl t 1I IH 1 lit 11 It ·r ho n1 e . Brisbane gave a ".1 1 111 t I< uttt · lo BALLARAT with many n l Ill ll' \ lapping up the deserved four-In ' l' l l ltd . Many used this time to take

It jp,: In\ 11 to the renowned Dreamworld for • l tt w lttll in the un and enjoyed the vibrant

111 I' It lit I · lin t Brisbane has to offer. The Lo rd May or of Brisbane and Her H · · ·II ncy, The Governor, welcomed BALLARAT by officially receiving the

47

Co1nn1anding Officer at Town Hall and Government House respectively. All weekend felt like an open day onboard as crew brought friends and fatnily to show off their shiny new home. Our time in Brisbane was much appreciated and tnany were sad to be leaving so soon, but duty called and we sailed south. BALLARAT' s shakedown was to be partly c nduct d in cotnpany with the New Z a la nd fleet tanker , HMNZS

NDEA YOUR, circumstances prevented thi opportunity until late in the second week. We enjoyed our brief time with her, testing with a few hours of close quarter tnanoeuvres and tactical exercises. Later that evening BALLARAT conducted her first replenishtnent - receiving 265 tonnes from ENDEA YOUR. BALLARAT detached frotn ENDEA YOUR and sailed outh for Fleet Base East where the la t few day of the week were used to bu i ly n1al e final preparations for the appr aching w rk up. Th h s t Monday in August saw our in it'1bl day as BALLARAT again sailed frc m ydney, this time in cotnpany with II M A DARWIN, signifying the ommencement of our first work up.

September 2004

The purpose of a work-up is to achieve the Level of Capability directed by the Chief of Defence Force through Chief of Navy and Maritime Commander (MCAUST). The Level of Capability in which a ship is required to achieve is dependent on the operations that she will be undertaking.

A Unit Readiness Work-up prepares a ship for a Minimum Level Of Capability (MLOC) to conduct operations, including deployments and exercises off the Australian station. The standard 'Major Fleet Unit' Unit Readiness Work-up is five weeks in duration. It features an 8-16 hour Work-Up Progress Evaluation (WUPE) at the end of week 2 and 24-36 hour Unit Readiness Evaluation (URE) at the end of week 5. The WUPE and the URE involve a complete assessment of all disciplines across all departments and is monitored and assessed by the Australian Fleet Sea Training Group (AUSFL TSTG ). AUSFL TSTG are the subject matter experts in all departments and procedures on HMA Ships and give the ship the necessary guidance to conduct all evolutions to the level required. The attainment of MLOC involves all departments demonstrating proficiency in their operational roles as well as in the areas of mariner skills. Units are assessed to be ready for national tasking on successful completion of a URE.

HMAS BALLARAT conducted her Unit Readiness Work-up and Evaluation throughout September in company with HMAS DARWIN as part of her work-up. For five challenging weeks BALLARAT practised everything from daily fire and stand ing sea exercises, force protection exercises, machinery breakdown drills, simulated warfare serials and whole ship damage control exercises . All departments were pushed to their limits as the members of AUSFL TSTG drill ed ships company for all their knowledge and experience.

The Work-up was a period in which our famous tr il of the 'BALLARAT -titude' came out in full brilli nee . Ships company proved on a daily b is their abil ity to have a go at anything , with s m n officers repairing holes in machinery sp c s, ngineering sailors providing first aid to c u lili s, stewards in Standing Sea Fire Brig l . here were no limits to what a member of hir company was willing to do help out their sllipmnl . BALLARATs crew banded together clll l 11 ,II l ch other get through the long days cHlcl ni Jill of Action Stations and fighting wars. Ov t «HHI ov 1 ri als were practised and each li m otn clll inq n w was learnt and itnpl ov Ill 111 w r 1 de so by week five B/\ /\I 1\ r was performing like a well-oiled machine. The Work-up could not have been

48

conducted so successfully operating alone and BALLARAT owes many thanks to HMAS DARWIN, HMAS RANKIN and HMNZS CANTERBURY for the assistance and support they provided throughout the Work-up.

Assessment plays a major part of the Work up process and provides the units with a benchmark lo ach ieve and constant updates of capability I ve l throughout the work-up. The AUSFL TSTG u a standa rd assessment criteria (Below Sl ndard , Standard Achieved Minus, Standard 1\ hi v , Standard Achieved Plus and Above

lc 111 I, r I) r r II ind ividual evolutions and x 1 ci I til in lhe URE. Depending on the

tyr c ol wo1 k u being conducted, a ship will be , ,cd v ra il as being 'Standard Achieved

ror ll lf ll i11 1 ki ll s' and safe to conduct activities on lllc /\u lralian station, 'Unit Ready' and avr1i lnbl f r MLOC-Ievel tasking , or 'Mission R r1 cly ' tllld ready for assignment to specific acliv ili . So 'lll r five long and exhilarating weeks HMAS BAll /\1 AT was declared 'Un it Ready' and took h r plc1C as capable ~md ready member of the Au ln I i n Fleet.

October 2004

After the rush and excitement of the W rl up October see1ned slow to start. The Bank Hoi iday long weekend saw an Open <l l'or Flee t Base East with BALLARA nnd lll' t ister ships STUART and PARR AM ' I T

pen for inspection. Th d1.1 :1. · htt ~~ " till 2714 personnel toLII·in ) B/\ 1.1 1• 'I , 'l' lll re t of th e we I a lonl'.' idt· I• HI• · " tn a intenan , r 1uir ' llH' tl l. ' llll ' l :tl llt I Ill gru II in w · l·s or lit e Wnrl ttp nt1d I Ill

crew took n nlu ·lln t··d d tl". l \\ti lt many proceeding n I a ·

Though it wasn't all rei x·1ti o11 il. ' \ · W l 1

only alongside a week b ·[! re 13 /\ LLA I, 'I' again sailed for the Eastern Au slr:tlt ntl Exerc ise Area (EAXA) . Th i tim · tit · tra inin g was for not only us but l'o t

Squ:Hitntl. ' XI <, , XI / :~ nd I \ l'rolll IlMAS I H TP<>SS ;tt Nowr;t. T it · ;\ iat i n

'l't :lllllll l' \ '· I W' IS sp Ill illl W: lll'h af'ter \ ;li c it o l I'L'l' O rin) 1. 111 I l(lt lll ·llill l' or th \: tt '''I' diiT r nt lyp·s ol': tir ·r:d l 111 :tr in) \ :tllt L' I' 'OIHJi lions. 'I h ' 'L' l pt o ·d

h ·tt ·It ·i:d to 'lll , with th ship h ·i11' :thiL lo q11 :tltl more me mb rs ill :1\ t:tltott upt· t:tli ons ·md al th qu ·1dron.' qt~ : dtl i11 p ll wtr .' I:IIT.

lint Hi\ LLARAT it was aga in b·1 ·I lo I •' BI •:

lo t :tn oth e r week alon g ' i I · o l I ·: t ·, 111:11111 •twn cc and preparati on l'o t ottr ~ ­

tllnlllll d ·pi ytnent. BALLAR/\ '1 lwd :1 isit lru ttt th fOXTEL Crunch t am, lilt11in g Pll :tk 's i. tnd aerobics classe in th r 11:111 , ·r :tttd O il th e n ight deck with I ' lll h ' I'S 01'

49

ships company strutting their stuff and showing viewers how we exercise onboard.

The week alongside was short-lived as we aid goodbye to Sydney again, this time we

w u ld not be returning for 4-months but were enthusiastic for the months that lay ahead. BALLARAT's first stop was a port vi it to Melbourne for the opening of Victorian Navy Week (which also tied in nic ly with Spring Carnival) . Our weekend a longs ide was busy with the official

pening cocktail party, open days and remembrance services to attend, not fo rgetting the visits to Flemington Racecourse.

November 2004

BALLARAT sailed frotn Melbourne bound for Fleet Base West, where we look forward to tneeting tnany other fleet units for the exercises that lay ahead over the upcotning weeks. BALLARA Ts visit to Melbourne was a huge success with the cocktail party and open days going off without a hitch and all personnel who attended enjoyed thetnselves. But it's not all about cocktail parties and open days and again we were retninded that we're not fro111 P&O cruises but in fact a warship and hence headed for F leet Base West to tneet our consorts for the next few weeks of war games

November saw BALLARAT participating in warfare exercises, along with taking well earned breaks in new ports. The PWOSA W (Principle Warfare Officer Sea Assessment Week) saw BALLARAT spend an exhilarating week in company with HMAS NEWCASTLE, HMNZS TE KAHA, HMNZS ENDEAVOUR battling it out against air, surface and sub surface threats. The six tnonth PWO course all comes down to one week, a week spent a sea etnbarked in vari u hip doing the

job l'or r <ll and it's the 1nake or break of lh ·ours '. It's :1 I on> week for the PWO students, th · , r · no I nger in a simulator, the gun wi II lr r · :tn I they can't control the weather, b ll t ro r l h e fortunate enough to be crnh: trk ·din BALLARAT the support they r TL' i ·d l'rom the Ship's Company was Sl' ·o11d to none.

II r: 111 h · h ·st utntnarised with a phrase lr o111 lltL· lltttnl you note the Co111n1anding 011 i ·v r Jl' · ·i cd from the PWO students 'tllh:11l l'd , · the graduation of all four PW< > I lttdl' Jtl s mbarked in BALLARAT is :t ll' .• l:trttl'lll t the dedication and proli:~·~ lllll:tll. 'lll , which characterises the RAN I llllll)'l'S I ll et unit'. BALLARAT spc111 till· \\t'l'kl· nd alongside Fleet Base W ·~I .111d \\ :1.· itble to celebrate this gr<~du:tll!lll 1<111 1' in!( the early hours of

aturd:t ' Jlttlllllltp .

As <lh\:1 ,. II \\.1 1: lillll' ror BALLARAT to sail :q•:t lll ~lo 11day morning. N WC!\ . II I' I I ~ KAHA and ENDE/\ V< >l II' l'llrwd II.' :1 >ain for another w e I o I \\ .11 1' .II Ill . lltr. · I i n1 e also in compn11 "rllt 11~1 \ ,' \ I•' STRALIA and HMA S P Nl IN l111 \ ,' W I·: 04 (Anti Submarill·W;lii:IIL'I •, l'llll 001) .

()

BALLARAT did her best ducking and weaving, dodging the subtnarine trying to protect ourselves and tanker WESTRALIA while RANKIN tried to stop us in our tracks . At the end of the day both sides won as the lessons learnt by both surface and sub-surface vessels was invaluable.

With the war gatnes over BALLARAT got to do thing she also does best and that is visit ports for more relaxation and parties. This tin1e Albany, Portland and Geelong were n the agenda. All three visits saw functi n nb ard and ashore, open days a nd n1any g i fl exchanged as tnore Au tral ian cities were introduced to the shiny n w n1en1ber of the Australian Fleet.

The P rtland visit saw the first Annual Ward r m and Senior Sailors Mess Dinner. ll was a fitting date for the Mess Dinn r a a toast was given to a predece or of BALLARAT I.

As a lw y the month grew quickly to an end a nd BALLARAT berth ed at the Cunningham Pier, Geelong in preparation for the upcotning festivities in the City of Ballarat.

December· 2004 At the start of December BALLARAT was alongside Geelong to conduct a Freedom of

_. ntry in the City of Ballara·t to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Eureka sto I ad . The first night alongside Geelong how v r, ALLARAT hosted a c cl tail pnrty 0 1 the flight deck for dignilar i s ol H <I ll a r 'll, Gee 1 on g 0 I I (Ill d .·, Willi·1 m town and Melb un

rt r lh cia l ntn p H I I I ' 1\ I

lo:t<IL I llJ a t us nnd (I r '\ ' I :II :t It) ' • ·"'"

It ·n I d I< H:tll:tr:tl to p:trli ·ip:lll ' 111 I >.t ' ,() I ( ';trill, " \ Ill ·It 'O II ,' I,' kd ol l'UIIIIIIIIIlll ' or l >r '<lilt S· I h till· H I I P 'I .· :t ·so ·i·1ted ch·Hily nitin' W·t lind t >

tHtdu ·t ch ol v i it . he crew p·1rli · i1 'l l d 111 :t arie ty of comtnunity project and i ·ill'd r ur schools with the company of a l :tlt:twk llelicopter from 816 Squadron.

l it· .· ·!tool s v isited were Mt Clear, · h:t. ·lopol , l Patrick's and Ballarat tt.tlllllt: tr. The visit teams were botnbarded till q u slion of interest but the Seahawk

<kl'inilely the main attraction with I 1 I 111 • crowding around for the chance to I 11 1 h ·ockpit. Not even the rain could

1 lit ·i r enthusiasn1 .

1111' d'' the r w headed back to I tit. l•' r ' dom or l ~ ntry. A few

f}Jy S13L'I .JLaron 13reckf-[~ ~9{ practice in lh d:1 s I ·ndi 11 p up llild th · crew b I in sl ' I :111<l I'L':HI to '0. II w·1s a hi t ri '<II o · ·n.· ioll l'o1 it \ :t. ' lit· l'irsl lim lh ' il ol' Hnll :11:tl w:t. '' i11 p l'r lon r

nl r I o : t " ti I i I: 11 tltll l. T It · T w 111'1 rc h d 1 :t. 'l tit · lo\ 11 lt :tll :111d ILTL' i ·d th .. ~r d m o I I ·: 1111 ' 1-' l • 1 u II It o 111 t h M '1 y r 0 a v i d

1ul , :11ul H I L RAT pr senled The City ul H:lllnt:tl ' tlh th While nsign. As H \I I I' T lllllr ·hed ff Inspector Ti1n

llr rll ltnlt · I th 1 rc ce i n with an official l lt :tll ' ll 1'L' . 11 <1 in r be n atisfied that the l ll'dl' lllr :ll s w ·r c rrect the Inspector :tllo\\ l'd H LL/\R/\ l pass. An official ll'l 'l'pll< II\ itS h ld an rwards at the Craig llol ·I' lt ·r · th· Ship' Con1pany enjoyed I h • hos pi lit I i! pro i led by the City of

·1 11 ·1 nl.

A few n1en1ber lay d in Ballarat on 3rd Decetnber to attend lh Dawn service but the tnaj ority proceeded back to Geelong l enjoy some time off. On 4th Decetnb r lh ship was open to visitors and the cr wds turned out once again to view the shi . 0 ., 1200 people toured the ship with lit weapon and damage control di ph s :q,: d" being the favourites.

BALLARAT departed G lo111' 011 , ' 1111d:t and cmntnenced her p S'l 'l' I : H'l :H 1 u . ·. · II tL'

ir 'll /\uslr'lli·ln ile l leet Base West for 'l I g i l i c v i i t n d m bark an Ann y

ntin ge nt a b ardin g upport before c ntinuing onto Christn1a I land to relieve HMAS PARRAMATTA for OP RELEX II duties on the 13th December.

The passage was greeted with fair weather and the crew was soon feeling the heat of the tropics, which tnade it interesting for the ship ' Badn1inton Cotnpetition. A nutnber of tea n1 balll d it ul [i r the inaugural title. Petty ffi r r n fe ll and Petty Officer

uti r we 1 lh title in a thrilling final. Even the u >I <.1 I' w >'lllleS were being played the

hi1 W<ls still worl in g and on patrol near /\shmor ' ls htnd I J\ LARAT conducted l oilrdirl ~' op ·r:tlion s on three suspected ill p: tl l'or ·ip 11 li shin, sse l re ulting in 2 :HIIllini .- lr :lli · s ·iz tres. T his entails '<)JIIi · ·nl i111' lit ·ir l'i shing gear and issuing

llH'Ilt \\ rllt :t' :trning.

Nul lo It-t worl ge l in the way of son1e n1ore 11111 H LL/\ R/\ T cotntnenced its flight deck ·rrl·k ·t ·om pctition. Boardings aside the lt' iltlls turned up to play and tnesses were dr ided in rivalry. After few gatnes the l am tarted to understand the custotnised ru le and how to bowl with a ball on a string 'l nd then some champagne cricket

entertained the fans. "Curdled Milk" the Petty Officer's teatn claitned the title.

BALLARAT returned to Christn1as Island on Christmas Eve and 1noored off Flying Fish Cove so the Ship's Cotnpany could participate in the festivities. The Wardroom played waiters on Christlnas Eve serving the beer issue and canapes for the crew as a preli1ninary for the Ship's Concert. Australian Idol judges would have been envious of the talent that was dislayed on the flight deck. The cooks prepared a traditional lunch and a seafood buffet for dinner on Christlnas day and it was a fea t

to behold. Most people onboard suffered the usual Christlnas co1nplaint of overeating.

BALLARAT departed on Boxing Day and proceeded to Broome. Though the visit W'ls

program1ned as an operational and logi tic visit, the crew was able celebrate the end or 2004 and welcotne in 2005 ashore.

52

Freedom of Entry

The ceremony of Freedom of Entry dates back to when nationality and chains of cotnmand were rather more flexible than th y are now. When military units stopped b i ng 'who-ever had grabbed their sword <I nd h wed up' and started b in ) prof s ' i nal assigned to a unit a n ss :111 ·mp ire, towns started givin) th · 111otl well-behaved unit Fr dom ol l•11l1 111

build better ti with soldl ' l ~ "l1n 1111 •Itt f'eel that they W r' i11 il lOll 1)'11 l Ullllll 1 ,

This was both to ltt :d l' tln·111 k ·I IIHll · :11 hom , illld In ltop ·ltd I tlll'i ttl thnt th ·y wou ll sl:1 :tltd d ·I 'tid tit· pl:.t · · in a time of war (I erh·q s even with ut any raping :.1nd pillaging).

These days the risks of the city of Ballarat he i ng invaded are fairly sinall, but the r ·r m ny still states that we of HMAS HA ARAT can 1narch a band down the main street without the local militia (or po li · ') being turned out against us. Instead tt is m re about giving the city of Ballarat ·omething to take pride in outside their city llllllts, and to give us an excuse to get all dr , ·d up and show the flag.

1111 H't ua l procedure for granting a I I I Ill or ntry has also becoine more '•11111'1 While the Ballarat city council

had vot d to )i · liM , ' H I I I, I' tit· fr e d Ill () r ' lilt l'; II It I tl \\ ' I ' I I \\ Ill k b ro r \ l' I () I till I l Ill ' Ill : d I I Ill : II • " Ill l

thro111'h :1 11 ' ll t:ll 1 IOOitll tttl :ltHII:tl -.· :1

lil(!v 111 Ill llfl' 1111 1111111 jl!ll(lllll.lll ' il. ' :1

Hllll lll.ltllt I tlllllllllll' IlLII It l' llttl ill

ll I lHllll (llt.lltllllll V). I Ill' ' 11111 :11 pl!lll

nl\ Jl, 11 !1\ •lli11 1 h I hlf 1 o ill,( '! fd !flfd llllJ)

111111111 '1' liP Ull :1 I ld .' It 'll 1111 I l.lltl ( l ' ll I I ,I : II HI ll' lll i II " : I hI . ()I d Ill() I 111111' ()II

tl w I h rt' lllh ' I .00·1 wi tlt !Itt· N:l\ H.11td n ~ I wh ti l· ' L' ·o ul I pro id th · 11 :11'.' lot tIt ltr : th:dl'olth r·plywh n ·lwll ·"1'l'd \\l n d d th · b<IIH.i t pr vid th · lw:tllll ' drum · to fill out the[! rmula.

We had arrived in Geel ng two d:t , earlier, and after doing son1e xt nsi · l : 1p ~~

up and back on the Geelong wh·trl' lt:1d •ol enough practice to avoid falling o ' I ·:ll h other. The key practice point alo11' "' till s rting out who was going wh r · ' :1. · to lc·1rn how to stop to a drutn b <tl. Thi : ts Iii the starting on the drum , hut t:llltt·t harder, especially when initi·tll tl ' :1s 50/50 which foot people lhou ~· ht til· sto1 p ·d n. By the time we -,til d .' l11111ps, most or us at least under tood vvh:11 w w r trying to do, even th u d1 ' t' h:tdn 't a ·tually tried to do it with :1 dttltll . The pn.1 ·ti cc catne to an tgnomlntott s 'tH.l in

53

'By LSTfT tJJavid J{orton

h (I y ra ill , but rortunately on the day we only got a li ght sprinl le and enough cold to I eep even the pr r ss i nal atnong us from hinting.

' he n1arch took as down the tnain street, with a stop for us to actually receive the s ·ro ll giving us our right to go marching down the main street, and a second stop wh n we were challenged by the local ·!lief' or police with "Halt, who goes there ~." to prove that we still had it. To this the < 'o mmanding Officer responded "HMAS H:tll<trat, exercising its right and privilege to pass through the City of Ballarat with SV\ ords drawn, bayonets fixed, drun1s heating, bands playing and Colours llying." And we did. In return we also pre ented the City with the white ensign flown on the day of cotntnissioning.

With the Freedom of Entry 1narch over and a quick duck around the corner to march offthe Ensign and fall out, we adjourned to Craig's Royal Hotel for lunch nibbles and a socialise before those of us so inclined 1noved on to experience the hospitality of the city that had just invited us in. One of us enjoyed it so tnuch he n1issed all the busses and the train and had to get a

1 OOkm taxi ride in the wee hours of the n1oming to get back to Geelong.

I

For the future , the Ballarat has an inland h n1c and tho e whose job it is to progrmn our 111 v tnents can add to the schedule r gular vi it for the ship's company to

54

exercise our new rights to the Freedo1n of the City of Ballarat and to maintain new and ongoing friendships .

Acknowledgments Editors

LEUT Kerry Fairbrother LEUT Ben Homer LSET David Horton ABMT Andrew Black

Photography

/\BMT Andrew Bla !\ PIIOTNinaNilolin S < n I 'l vi I , n 1111

LE l T l'l'll l •.ttlllltlllt I

/\llMT M:ttlttt

%ankyou to tfie jo[[owing personne[

T hos n ml '1. ' ol .· ll1p ,' ' <I IIII :1t1 "lt11 lt.t 1 1111111 1 """'' d lit 11 p t t:tlplt!llo)•t :tplll c llll' tlloric ·

S1Jccial Thanks

To lhos wh tnade a very generous donation, and wish lo 1 ·ttt :till ""'''' '"''" '· 1111 It HI\ w ho you are, a very special thank you. T o ;til :trl i ·I c ntributors . lltL' ·r w r IlMAS BALLARAT for providing the Storie n 'It ri ;d :tlld llt l II ,, ,, ·L. I:llll l' Ill thi s production.

55

56

Ship's Christtnas

Party .9Lncfwrea off firist1nas 1 [ana Pictures speal( [ouaer than wo ref .

Whife the crew were missing their fovea ones1 the 1ami{y) they were with for this Christmas he[pea a[[ to cefebrate the true spirit of Christmas.