Navy People: Logan Sailor in Vanuatu Community Engagement Program

8 July 2008

When Logan City’s Shane Clubb, an Able Seaman onboard HMAS Melbourne, visited Vanuatu recently, he was touched by the friendliness and welcome from the local community.

The Royal Australian Navy has for many years been promoting and fostering good international relations with our immediate Pacific neighbours, but for Shane and his shipmates it suddenly got very personal.

When Melbourne visited Port Vila, Shane and other members of the ship’s crew volunteered to help in a practical way to improve the conditions of local school children.

“A group of us went to a village called Mele Mau where we painted classrooms at the primary school. I was surprised by the conditions we found but really warmed by the friendliness and welcome of the people. We had decided to make a presentation of school books to the children bought from our own welfare fund. A great memory that I will keep for years to come is the gratitude of the students and parents.”

For Shane the variety his job offers is what he likes most. “Basically every day is different, one day I could be part of the Ship’s Emergency Medical Team or a member of the Flight Deck crew landing a Seahawk helicopter. Other times I could be on the bridge assisting during a replenishment at sea from a tanker or stores support vessel.

“I was even involved in filming for ‘Sea Patrol’. We were off the Whitsunday Islands during the filming which was great fun. Later, when we left Cairns, some of us had the opportunity to embark families for a cruise to Sydney - it’s a way for our friends and families to experience our lives at sea. My poor mum came onboard and was chronically seasick for the whole voyage.”

Shane’s family are very supportive of his decision to join the Royal Australian Navy and as Shane says “If it wasn’t for my family’s support I don’t know where I would be today.”