Navy People: Rockingham resident returns home

14 December 2009

Eaian ‘Rusty’ MacLean-Russell loves Rockingham so much he’s actually moved here six times. But Rusty is a Navy medic, and growing up with a dad in the Navy, Rockingham was always a regular posting.

City schools also contributed a lot to Rusty’s education, including Star of the Sea, Cooloongup Primary, Charthouse Primary and Rockingham Senior High School.

With such a strong history in Rockingham, it was no surprise that Rusty chose it as the area to settle in – despite spending more time on ships than at home.

Now promoted to Able Seaman, Rusty is just back after a six month overseas deployment to the Middle East. HMAS Toowoomba was the RAN’s contribution to OPERATION SLIPPER including security operations in the Persian Gulf and counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa.

On board Rusty is one of only two ship’s medics, providing care for almost 200 personnel.

“As a ship’s medic I’m responsible for the health and well-being of the crew, providing emergency response to accidents on board and maintaining medical equipment,” he said.

“I carry a lot of responsibility to the crew and Captain. It’s very rewarding. Every single day is different, from being on call during flying stations and replenishments at sea, to responding to emergencies, doing health checks and medical screenings. Plus I’ve been on board for nearly two years so the mateship here is great,” he said.

On this deployment, Rusty was also a member of the ship’s boarding party, responsible for intercepting, querying, boarding and searching of vessels suspected of carrying narcotics or weapons.

“Having this kind of opportunity is out of the ordinary. It’s really challenging because of the unpredictable environment, but it provides me with another dimension to my regular tasks. Providing critical medical care in a difficult environment is a challenge I love.” Rusty said.

But safely home, Rusty is now looking forward to spending some quality time in Rockingham with his wife Peta-Jane and their golden retriever Missy.