Navy People: Sights set on becoming a pilot
9 December 2010
20 year old Albion Park local, Jarrod Huisman, has had his sights set on becoming a pilot for a while. In 2007 he graduated from St Josephs Catholic High School and spent the next couple of years preparing to join the Royal Australian Navy as a pilot.
On 2 December, Jarrod, in front of Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane, AO, CSM, RAN and proud family members and friends, graduated from the New Entry Officer Course from the Royal Australian Naval College located at HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay.
The New Entry Officer Course trains junior officers in everything from survival at sea to boat work, leak stop and repair, firefighting and weapons training and also gives all new officers the fundamental experience and qualifications they will need to enter the fleet as junior leaders and managers.
Through his training, Jarrod has been able to call on some of his past experiences, after spending seven years as a naval cadet before becoming an officer in the Royal Australian Navy.
“During our training we learnt quite a lot about how to become good leaders and how to manage teams of people. There are all sorts of ways that they test these skills and it all culminates in a five day out-field exercise called Exercise Matapan, where we lead a large team of people to achieve a set task,” Jarrod said.
“I also had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and embark in HMNZS Canterbury. It was such a great experience to be able to work with the New Zealand crew and learn how their ships operate.
“I have really enjoyed the entire experience so far. I have been able to meet a lot of new people and make many new mates. Graduation was a great experience as I was given a position as the Left Guard outer guide, which means I got to carry a sword. It was great to be able to do this in front of my family and friends.
“I am looking forward to beginning the first part of my training to become a navy pilot mid next year. It takes about five years to complete all the training. I will be trained on how to fly the navy helicopters in all kinds of weather and sea conditions. We work in both land and maritime environments.”
Jarrod is looking forward to heading home for Christmas and spending some time with his father, John, mother, Toni and twin brothers, Ben and Aaron.
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