Publication:Navy Annual 2005/HMAS CAIRNS - Navy Week 2005

BY SUB LIEUTENANT ANTHONY COOPER, RAN

HMAS Cairns is heavily involved in the local community and especially the local schools. We have a constant flow of potential recruits through our doors doing work experience and really finding out what opportunities are available to them. No surprise then that the annual Navy Week Open Day was exceptionally well received.

In August, the base hosted Far North Queensland (FNQ) Navy Week 2005. This is a week of mixed events covering a variety of activities from the novelty sports fun day to ceremonial sunsets and beat to quarters to charity fundraising. The Royal Australian Navy Band was in attendance and played a variety of concerts for schools around the region as well as a concert on the Cairns Esplanade for the general public.

Events kicked off on Sunday, 28 August 2005, with the base and ships opening their gangways to visitors. It was a chance to open our doors and showcase the Navy and explain what we do and what we use to do it! The day provided the perfect opportunity to wander through exhibits and displays and really find out first hand about our unique and diverse operations. Numbers were a little down on last year due to the inclement weather.

In addition to promoting Navy in FNQ we saw the famous "Almost Anything Goes" novelty sports day, where twenty secondary school students competed alongside HMAS Cairns personnel at the Tobruk Swimming Pool. This was a fabulous day and enabled students to mix with Navy personnel in a relaxed and informal manner. There was a BBQ lunch on completion of the day's activities and the Commanding Officer HMAS Cairns presented the winning team with their medallions and team cup.

Wednesday, 31 August 2005, was filled with pomp and splendour as the Navy Band and Guard performed a 'Beat to Quarters" ceremony down on the Esplanade. It was a spectacular sight, the sun setting, flags flying, the Band playing and the sound of rifles echoing out across the inlet.

Another beautiful week in Cairns!

On Friday the Band and Guard were in action again, helping out with the decommissioning of HMAS Whyalla, and then following a reception, conducting a ceremonial sunset at HMAS Cairns.

The week was finished off with the Navy Ball which was held at the Reef Casino Hotel. Again, the band played up a storm and rocked the house down, just one of the reasons which made it a night to remember!

All in all a great week was had by all with lots of good exposure for Navy. The ship's company worked tirelessly to attend all commitments and make sure all visitors enjoyed the week. The royal Australian Navy is very well represented in the Far North, of that there can be no doubt! We are all eagerly looking forward to next year's bash. Go Navy!

HMAS Cairns is home to five Fremantle Class Patrol Boats (FCPB), four Landing Craft Heavy (LCH), four Survey Motor Launches (SML) and two Hydrographic Survey Ships (HS). As of 2006 the first Cairns based Armidale Class Patrol Boat (ACPB), HMAS Bundaberg will find its home at Cairns followed by three other vessels soon after.