Three generations share Navy heritage
As HMAS Sydney sails through the Indo-Pacific region this Anzac Day, one sailor on board has a deeply personal connection to the ship’s legacy.
CAPTION: Leading Seaman Christine Merrilees with her son, Leading Seaman Shannon Leak, and her father, Chief Petty Officer Stewart Merrilees. Story by Lieutenant Hinako Shiraishi.
“Have you taken a break and eaten today?” comes the familiar voice of Leading Seaman Christine Merrilees, a hospitality services operator.
Originally from the Queensland town of Nanango, Leading Seaman Merrilees now calls the Australian warship home.
Known to her crewmates as ‘Mez’, she joined the Navy at 42 years of age, bringing with her a varied civilian background of co-owning a car shop, managing retail and working in pharmacy.
“Coming in with my experiences helped a lot in recruit school, because I knew at the end of the day, it was all a game to make sailors the most resilient and trustworthy people to go into real Navy life,” she said.
Fifteen years on, Leading Seaman Merrilees is proud to be serving on HMAS Sydney V but she’s not the only person in her family to be part of the ship’s legacy.
“My father, Stewart, served aboard Sydney III in Vietnam while my son, Shannon, was part of the original crew who commissioned this very ship,” she said.
“That legacy means everything to me.
“For both my son and I, our first and last ships will be the same – HMAS Warramunga was the first ship we served in, at separate times, him as [a] combat systems operator and me in human resources as a ‘writer’. And his last ship before he discharged was Sydney V, and because I’m retiring soon, this will probably be my last ship too.”
Leading Seaman Merrilees’ efforts were recognised in her promotion last year.
“My dad and son were at my ceremony to put my new rank slides on, but my dad has Parkinson’s so his hands shake a little,” she said.
“My son helped Dad put the slides on. It was a very special moment for all of us.”
Nearing what could be her last Anzac Day at sea, Leading Seaman Merrilees reflected on the first time she tried to join the Navy back in 1986.
“I have always wanted to join. I did try to join earlier in the ‘80s but life got in the way and I went on to have a child and a life out in civvie street and became a stronger person because of it,” she said.
“I was 42 and proud to join; it wasn’t just a job for me – I joined to serve my country and that’s what my family has done too.
“What I really want to do is keep working after I retire, so I’ll join the reserves.”
Leading Seaman Merrilees will be commemorating Anzac Day at sea while HMAS Sydney undertakes the Navy’s second regional presence deployment for 2025.
Until early July, Sydney will be travelling throughout the Indo-Pacific to conduct training, exercises and other engagements with regional navies.
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