Eight competition winners got to tour a submarine

Eight lucky Australians were announced as the winners of Defence’s national competition to experience life as a submariner today, offering a great first step toward a career in the Royal Australian Navy.

FILE PHOTO: Five submarines alongside Diamantina Pier, Fleet Base West – HMAS Rankin, HMAS Waller, HMAS Farncomb, HMAS Sheean and HMAS Dechaineux. Photo by Lieutenant Ben Durnin. Sadly, no photos of today’s activities were provided with the press release.

Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester said Defence received close to 200 entries for the competition and congratulated the winners.

The successful entrants are – Damon Dawson, 19, Cessnock NSW; Sarah Cox, 18, Darwin NT; Jack Evans, 18, Gold Coast Qld; Katelyn Mayne, 20, Hobart Tas; Tahlia Purdie, 25, Melbourne Vic; Kirkley Whiting, 19, Esperance WA; Noah Edberg, 27, Harrison ACT; and Melvin Wong, 23, Brompton SA.

To enter the competition, would-be submariners had to explain in 50 words or less the submariner role they would choose and why.

Damon Dawson’s choice was acoustic analyst submariner because he aspires to be part of the team providing real-time intelligence to commanders.

Tahlia Purdie is interested in the marine technician role because she is fascinated by submarine propulsion systems and how they work. Tahlia wants a career where she can work with her hands and apply her mind to solve problems.

For West Australian Kirkley Whiting, the best option was electronics engineer. He’s excited by the challenges of the job, the uniqueness of it and the opportunity to work on world-class technologies as part of a close community of people.

“Today our competition winners explored Australia’s largest Navy base, HMAS Stirling, in Garden Island, Western Australia,” Mr Chester said.

“They experienced Navy simulators at the Submarine Training and Systems Centre, testing their fitness during a physical training session, honing their skills on the Weapon Training Simulation System and observing where Australia’s submariners work, on-board HMAS Sheean.

“I congratulate them on taking this opportunity to learn about the great career opportunities on offer beneath the surface.

“They have seen for themselves that the environment is unique and, while the space is limited, the experience is vast.”

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