Navy Family and Community Day 2011 Celebrations
6 June 2011
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will celebrate 100 years of service with a free Family and Community Day at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney on Sunday 12 June 2011.
An action-packed day of naval and family activities is on offer, including Sea King helicopter and clearance diver demonstrations, flight emulators, dive tank operations, RAN Band performances, plus there will be plenty of fun for the kids with face painters, show bags and specially-themed ‘Kids on Deck’ art and craft sessions.
The Huon Class mine hunter HMAS Yarra will also be alongside the Museum’s wharf and open to the public.
The Head of Navy People and Reputation, RADM Allan Du Toit said: “The Royal Australian Navy is proud to be working with the Australian National Maritime Museum on providing a free family event in celebration of our centenary year.”
As part of the celebrations, the Chief of Navy will launch the RAN’s 300-page centenary publication, 100 Years of the Royal Australian Navy, and Australia Post will launch two commemorative ‘then and now’ centenary stamps. Both items will arrive in spectacular style when Navy clearance divers deliver them by fast-roping from a Sea King helicopter onto the Museum’s wharf at 11am.
Additional Sea King helicopter and Navy clearance diver demonstrations will take place at 11.40am and 2.15pm. “The kids’ love it when we do a fly-past with lots of waving between the aircrew and the crowd, but it’s the fast-rope, diver-drop and wet-winching demonstrations that really bring the smiles out,” said CMDR Paul Moggach, Commanding Officer of 817 Squadron. “There’ll be lots of noise, a bit of salt-spray and plenty of Sea King helicopter action to keep everyone entertained,” he said.
Kids aged 5 to 12 years can become ‘Junior Sailors’ and make their own Navy vessel to take home, decorate a sailor’s hat to wear or learn more about signal flags at the ‘Kids on Deck’ sessions, plus there’ll be sailor dress-ups, temporary tattoos and games to play. The ‘Kids on Deck’ sessions will run hourly between 11am and 3pm.
Joining in the fun will be naval cadets from TS Sirius conducting flag signal displays onboard HMAS Vampire (II) and Defence Force Recruiting staff providing information about naval careers.
There’ll also be drill displays, historical videos, navy merchandise and a talk on The Genesis of the Royal Australian Navy by naval historian Mr John Perryman at 3.30pm (a $15 entry fee applies which includes a copy of the RAN’s centenary publication).
The day will come to a fitting close with a traditional Beat to Quarters and Ceremonial Sunset by the Royal Australian Navy Band and a Sea King helicopter fly-past at 4.45pm.
The Navy’s Family and Community Day is part of the Royal Australian Navy’s Centenary celebrations which commemorate King George V’s approval in 1911 of the ‘Royal’ title, changing the organisation’s name from Commonwealth Naval Forces to the Royal Australian Navy.
Admission is free for all defence personnel and their families (2 adults and up to 4 children) on presentation of ID, with discounted entry for non-defence members to museum vessels HMAS Onslow, HMAS Vampire and tallship Duyfken: $5 for adults, $2 for children or $7 for families per vessel. ‘Kids on Deck’ sessions are $7 per child (free for adults and Defence personnel).
The Australian National Maritime Museum is open from 9.30am – 5.00pm. For further information visit www.anmm.gov.au or call (02) 9298 3777.
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