Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2007/Happy 106th birthday Royal Australian Navy

Ships' companies of HMAS Kuttabul and fleet units and the Sydney Detachment of the RAN Band at the Navy Heritage Centre. PIC by ABPH Brenton Freind.

Ships and establishments throughout the RAN celebrated both the Service's 106th birthday and 40 years of sailing under the Australian White Ensign on March 1.

Celebrations were beamed to the public via the Nine Today Show which broadcast weather reports from the RAN Heritage Centre at Garden Island.

Ship's company of HMAS Kuttabul paraded for morning Colours, a cake cutting and a barbecue breakfast which served fried eggs, bacon, toast, juice, tea and coffee to more than 500 sailors.

The RAN was founded on March 1, 1901, under Section 51 of the Constitution, when the States transferred their naval forces to the Federal Government.

This birthday also marked the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the Australian White Ensign as the mark of a commissioned RAN ship or establishment.

Giant cakes were featured at a number of celebrations held at sea and ashore at all establishments.

CO of HMAS Cerberus, CAPT David Garnock, joins the youngest sailor in the establishment, Seaman Alan Brown and former CO of the establishment, CDRE Brian Gibbs, for the cutting of their birthday cake - appropriately an AWE - in Club Cerberus. Pic by ABPH Quentin Mushins.

Warrant Officer Martin Grogan Regional Reserve Pool Manager Assistant RRP-VIC, the only sailor currently serving at HMAS Cerberus to have served under both the old British Ensign he's pictured with and the new AWE. He was serving as an LSWTR in HMAS Duchess in 1967 when the changeover came during a 9 month deployment attached to the Far East Strategic Reserve. Pic by ABPH Quentin Mushins.