Cooking up a storm in HMAS Canberra

With a fresh apron, chopping board positioned, gripping his sharpening steel and honing his chef’s knife for its sharpest of edge, Maritime Logistics Chef Able Seaman Zachary Galit is ready to cook up a storm in the ships galley.

CAPTION: Maritime Logistics Chef Able Seaman Zachary Galit prepares vegetables in the galley of HMAS Canberra during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 in the Pacific Ocean. Story and photo by Leading Seaman Matthew Lyall.

Long hours in the galley is routine right now for Able Seaman Galit throughout the high tempo warfare exercise, supporting his shipmates with hundreds of meals during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022.

Growing up in Adelaide, Able Seaman Galit is posted to HMAS Canberra and taking part in his first RIMPAC where he is excited to conduct duties inside and outside the galley to experience the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

“I feel privileged to be able to take part, especially after COVID-19 and a significant amount of time where we were not able to interact with other nations’ navies,” Able Seaman Galit said.

“This exercise has helped me gain a better understanding of all aspects involved in RIMPAC, including the embarkation of international military forces giving me the benefit of seeing what other departments across the ship require in contributing to the exercise.”

While most of Able Seaman Galit’s cooking duties require him to be in the ship’s galley, RIMPAC has given him the chance to be a part of activities in the wider RIMPAC community events.

Registering for Canberra’s soccer team, he took to the field to play with his ship against other nations during the shore phase of the exercise.

It was an exciting campaign for Able Seaman Galit and his team, where they reached the quarter finals of the tournament before bowing out against a strong Peruvian crew.

“To be able to interact with other countries and meet new people through the competitive nature of sport was a great opportunity for me,” Able Seaman Galit said.

“The RIMPAC sports tournament was great fun and an experience I’ll never forget.”

“While I love to be in the galley with my other chefs, it’s always great to take a break from my regular routine and experience other things outside of the galley and RIMPAC has allowed me to do that.”

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