Navy People: Emerald local girl doing us proud

27 July 2010

Able Seaman Crystal Schultz is a long way from home but the 22 year old Emerald local wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s now in Hawaii as a steward on board an Australian Navy frigate.

Crystal began her life in uniform just over 3 years ago at the Navy’s recruit school, HMAS Cerberus near Melbourne. After three months of basic training and another 10 weeks learning the art of hospitality, she found herself posted to HMAS Stirling, the giant Navy base in Western Australia.

Now home is the Anzac Class Frigate HMAS Warramunga where, on top of her stewarding job, extra duties make her life at sea even more challenging.

Crystal is not only a member of the ship’s boarding party, she has also trained up as a member of the flight deck team, making sure the ship’s Seahawk lands safely.

“They add a little more excitement and fun to the job” Crystal says. “You do miss friends and family but I know that, when the time comes to move on from the Navy, the training I’ve been given will hold up in the outside world.”

The job in uniform has already seen Crystal travel far afield. She was awarded an active service medal for a Persian Gulf deployment and now she is swapping desert coasts for palm trees, for a major training exercise off Hawaii.