Navy People: Minnipa Local Makes His Mark in the Middle East

29 January 2008

It’s a long way from Ceduna to the Persian Gulf but, for Minnipa’s Travis Neale, being half way around the world is just part of the job.

Now promoted to Able Seaman, Travis is now aboard Navy frigate HMAS Arunta on a six-month tour of duty.

Parents Jenny and Tony were local identities for many years. Jenny was a teacher at the Wudinna and Karcultaby Area Schools, and his father Tony worked for at Wudinna and Minnipa, and later as a school bus driver for the Risdale Trading Company. Travis was born in Wudinna Hospital in 1984.

The family moved to Adelaide in 1999, and Travis joined the Navy shortly after finishing school in 2003. But he still calls Minnipa home.

In the Navy, Travis has specialised as an electrician and has been aboard HMAS Arunta since 2006. Travis is responsible for maintaining the ship’s power generation and distribution systems, converters, fittings and switchboards. In addition, Travis is a key part of the ship’s diving team, conducting hull inspections and security dives.

The Minnipa man of action is also a member of the ship’s boarding party that conducts security inspections on vessels ranging from traditional fishing dhows to super-freighters. The restricted waters surrounding Iraq’s two offshore oil terminals are particularly important as the terminals generate some 85% of Iraq’s income.

“Joining the Navy was a great career move for me,” Travis said. “Not only have I been able to learn a trade, I’ve been able to travel to some truly amazing places like New Zealand, Dubai and Bahrain. I still think of Minnipa as home, though.”

HMAS Arunta is currently part of Operation Catalyst, the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq. She will return to her home port at Garden Island, Western Australia in mid-2008 on completion of her six month tour of duty.