Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2005/Coonawarra welcomes Navy people to the Top End
Single or married, a posting to a remote locality like Darwin, can seem quite daunting to those who have never ventured that far north before. It can also leave people with many unanswered questions and confused about how the move will affect them and their families.
This is why HMAS Coonawarra is implementing a new strategy to better welcome and integrate its newly joined sailors.
Known as the Welcome Aboard program it does not replace the work done by the Defence Community Organisation (DCO) and Defence Housing Authority (DHA), but augments an existing program to make new personnel, from the outset, feel part of the Darwin 'Navy Family'.
Designed for both single and married personal, the program provides members with a single point of contact to provide support and easy access to information to help eliminate confusion and make the transition to Darwin a lot less stressful. Welcome Aboard aims to be a simple and useful warm welcome to new members.
Wecome Aboard begins with early identification of new posting arrivals, and the provision of initial information through the Commanding Officer's Welcome letter.
A feature of the program is the appointment of a 'sponsor' for each new arrival. Sponsors are volunteers of similar rank and marital status to the new member posting in. These people are well versed in Coonawarra's routines and resources, and familiar with working in the Darwin environment.
The sponsor assumes a unique role as contact for the 'new' member to ensure that he or she is well informed on the removal and transport procedures, and, for married members, will be the family's 'Navy' point of contact in Darwin and available to give advice and answer questions about their new locality.
Sponsors also ensure that single members will have a room allocated to them on their arrival. They greet personal at the airport or hotel to provide them with maps, transport and any further information they require.
A sponsor will continue in the role for some weeks until the arrival has acclimatised to the new surroundings and completed induction training. A compulsory Coonawarra induction day will take the sailor through all of the information relevant to working at Coonawarra.
In addition to Welcome Aboard, HMAS Coonawarra's Chaplain Barrie Yesburg has recently introduced regular family information evenings. Supported by DCO, Defence Families Australia and other agencies, these evenings provide sailors and families with information on various topics such as cyclone planning, fire safety and spouse employment. More importantly, the evenings provide a means of meeting new people, enjoying a free BBQ (sponsored by the welfare committee and cooked by the CO), and joining social networks.
People welcomed aboard in Darwin are asked to complete a survey form to find how well the program is going, how it was beneficial, and to ensure that objectives are being met.
CO Coonawarra CMDR Mark Hill instigated Welcome Aboard because he believes "... our responsibility to Coonawarra people begins on the promulgation of their posting and continues until they leave Darwin."
"The Welcome Aboard program is the first step in meeting this responsibility. In concert with Family Information Evenings, other initiatives, and an effective Divisional System, Welcome Aboard aims to ensure members and their families look on Darwin as one of their most enjoyable and rewarding postings," he said.
For more information on the Welcome Aboard Program see intranet.defence.gov.au/navyweb/sites/HMASCOONAWARRA.
