Sydney and Ballarat Cross the Line
21 May 2009
At latitude 00000 and longitude 107.08.896E, King Neptune welcomed to his realm 91 personnel from HMAS Sydney and 61 personnel from HMAS Ballarat in a time honoured “Crossing the Line” ceremony to mark the crossing of the equator.
“The lord of wave, the lord of tide. The monarch of the watery deep, Whose laws the whales and fishes keep; Here on this flight deck declare ‘Fore fellows fine and ladies fair – our court is open”
With these words, King Neptune and his attendant ‘bears’ took over the Flight Deck of both ships to consider the cases of personnel for whom the deployment Northern Trident 09 marked their first crossing of the equator. Both those to appear before King Neptune and the more seasoned crew members put considerable effort into their fancy dress for the occasion. The costumes and music made for a party like atmosphere in King Neptune’s Flight Deck court.
In a rare occurrence, two sisters were considered by King Neptune at the same time but in different ships; Seaman Combat Systems Operator (SMNCSO) Rebecca Florance in HMAS Sydney and Seaman Steward (SMNSTD) Vanessa Florance in HMAS Ballarat.
Excited to be involved in Northern Trident 09, and looking forward to the opportunity to not just visit some great ports but also to spend some time at sea, the sisters enjoyed the centuries old tradition.
“The ceremony was really fun. It was pretty hot on the flight deck so the water balloons and fire hose certainly helped to cool us down. I got covered in flour which is not very tasty, and when it mixed with the water it turned into a paste that dried hard. Everyone was in good spirits and it was great to see the Captain, XO and Heads of Departments (HODs) go through the initiation too,” said SMN Rebecca Florence.
“Although I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I was excited and I prepared my costume the night before,” said older sister Vanessa. “It was made completely out of things I found on the ship. I cut up and decorated some old clothes and made a bandanna to try to cover my hair from the mess – it didn’t really work though.”
Once the ceremony was complete, both ships paused on their Northern Trident journeys for a SWIMEX (swimming exercise), to allow the crew a brief ocean swim to wash away the remaining mess from King Neptune’s visit.
“It was a fantastic way to wrap things up. I’m a bit afraid of heights and I didn’t think I’d actually jump into the water from the ship but with the support of everyone I made it – and have now swum in the open ocean for the first time” said Seaman Vanessa Florance.
