Navy People: Going places
19 October 2010
Almost five years ago Echuca’s Liam Knight joined the Navy for a career with travel. Now the Able Seaman’s latest challenge has been Pacific Partnership 2010, a US-led humanitarian mission to south-east Asia.
Liam is usually based in Cairns aboard landing craft HMAS Labuan, but for the last few weeks he and his shipmates have been lending a hand delivering medical assistance to remote Indonesian and East Timorese communities.
“I’ve been helping out at the medical clinics but I’m a communications specialist so my main role is to provide my command with communications information and equipment,” said Liam.
“This means keeping constant satellite links with command back in Australia and also maintaining voice circuits with other ships in the operation.
“I have been able to see some really remote localities around Indonesia and East Timor. What I have enjoyed most about this trip is being able to see even more cultures, and experience the differences,” he said.
With almost five year of service Able Seaman Knight has served in major warships but enjoys being part of a smaller crew.
“The main difference in a smaller ship is that I am constantly challenged with new problems and ideas, and the camaraderie of a smaller crew is really evident,” he said.
Indonesia and East Timor are only the latest two countries on Liam’s ‘been there’ list.
“I was part of Exercise RIMPAC in 2008, which is held in Hawaii,” he said. “On the way home we visited Guam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Those deployments are great because you get to work with various other navies as well as seeing some great ports
“But next time I visit Mum in Echuca I’ll probably just be taking it easy, spend time with the family — — before jumping back into work!”
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