Navy People: Sailor's Facebook Travels

15 July 2010

Wollongong’s Nathan Warner has swapped the Illawarra’s beaches for sand in a different part of the world. The 22 year old Able Seaman is in Hawaii with Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga.

Nathan’s high seas adventure began three years ago when he signed up as a marine technician. Aboard ship Nathan is now part of the team in charge of making her engines run.

It’s a major step up from his first job when he left school. “I started my working life as a car mechanic but after three and a half years, it was time for a change. I work with a lot bigger engines now!”

Nathan’s mum Kim, sister Eliza and brothers Mitchell and Cameron still live in the Wollongong area. Kim is an avid Facebook follower and charts her son’s travels on-line. Even though HMAS Warramunga is based in Western Australia Nathan still calls the Illawarra home.

HMAS Warramunga is one of three Australian warships taking part in this year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise. About 1200 Australians from the Australian Navy, Army and Air force are taking part this year along with 13 other nations to make this exercise the largest of its kind in the region. RIMPAC is designed to improve cooperation between Pacific neighbours by testing and improving how they work together.

Hawaii is only the latest postcard setting Nathan has experienced. His life in uniform has taken him from charting the remote northern Australian coastline to China and over to South Korea later this year.

Nathan won’t be back in Australia when RIMPAC ends.

“We’re away for four and a half months this time”, Nathan said. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.