A breezy sunny day Veteran Bill Price, Helen Playford, Veteran Mick Coyle and his wife Jacqueline, 
met at Rockingham, a beautiful part of the West Australian
met at Rockingham, a beautiful part of the West Australian
coastline. The home of visiting dolphins, pelicans and wonderful sea views from the coffee shops, eating houses and shaded picnic areas. Garden Island and the RAN Fleet Base West and is the largest base in Australia with home to over half the fleet. The RAN Garden Island base is to enable deployment of ships, submarines and Clearance Diving Team 4. The Island is carefully managed to conserve an environment little altered since documented by early Dutch explorers. This year is
the Navy’s 100th Anniversary since receiving the ‘Royal’ prefix from King George V on 10 July 1911. RAN has since deployed into two world wars, and decades of military actions and peace-keeping duties. We were met by a tall Chaplain Duncan Besci (he reminded me of Clint Eastwood) who extended a gracious invite to the Base earlier in the year at Portsmouth. Chaplain Besci and his wife Sharon are a family of the first order, with seven young West Australian children under 14 in their home. We first visited the Chapel where services, weddings, christenings and baptisms were conducted. Chaplain Besci, outlined the fact that the whole of Navy had only 26 Chaplains, we were priviledged that morning to meet two! In September 2009 the first female Chaplain, Christine Senini joined the RAN. 
the Navy’s 100th Anniversary since receiving the ‘Royal’ prefix from King George V on 10 July 1911. RAN has since deployed into two world wars, and decades of military actions and peace-keeping duties. We were met by a tall Chaplain Duncan Besci (he reminded me of Clint Eastwood) who extended a gracious invite to the Base earlier in the year at Portsmouth. Chaplain Besci and his wife Sharon are a family of the first order, with seven young West Australian children under 14 in their home. We first visited the Chapel where services, weddings, christenings and baptisms were conducted. Chaplain Besci, outlined the fact that the whole of Navy had only 26 Chaplains, we were priviledged that morning to meet two! In September 2009 the first female Chaplain, Christine Senini joined the RAN. 
The inside of the Chapel had two wonderful feature stain glass windows, and a large
painting of Jesus protecting a sailor in a stormy sea.A wonderful setting surrounded
by seaside scenery. After having had lunch, served by the RAN stewards,under the beautiful exposed timber beams and in the dining club rooms, we viewed a display dedicated to HMAS Diamantina , named after the Diamantina River in Queensland, River classfrigate that served the RAN 1945-1946. Diamantina provided fire support to the Australian Army operating in Bougainville in July and August 1945. The frigate
carried Lieutenant General Kanda and Vice Admiral Baron Samejima, officers of the Japanese Imperial High Command to the surrender of Torokina on 8 September 1945. She was also involved in the surrenders of Nauru on 13 September and Ocean Island on 1 October; both ceremonies conducted on her quarterdeck. The ship was awarded the battle honour "Pacific 1945" for her wartime serviceNavy (RAN). The club rooms featured a large outstanding painting of the HMAS Diamantina.
We were driven to the wharf area to see two frigates in dock, and HMAS Toowoomba was doing ‘ level testing’ unfortunatly it was not available for touring.. At the completion of the tour, the Chaplain Besci was kind enough to give us a personally signed RAN bible, complete with soft camouflage cover. this may be difficult to find in an emergency in the woods!
God Bless to all on those on the mighty seas...
and a safe return home...
