CHAPTER 13 WOMENS ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVAL SERVICE

The Womens Royal Australian Naval Service began in World War II when Mrs Florence Violet McKenzie, a Sydney Graduate in Electrical Engineering, formed a group of women titled the Womens Emergency Signalling Corps. Mrs McKenzie also tutored officers of the Mercantile Marine in Wireless Telegraphy and Radio Maintenance. She was the first woman to graduate in Australia as an Electrical Engineer and the first to obtain an amateur radio operator’s licence. The Naval Board saw the value of Mrs McKenzie’s endeavour, and recruited the first fourteen members of the WRANS from her Corps in April 1941, these pioneer WRANS communications personnel were drafted to the Naval Radio Station - HMAS HARMAN at . The first WRANS to join CERBERUS when the recruiting of WRANS got under way were sixteen officer candidates who joined CERBERUS in 1942. The Womens Royal Australian Naval Service rapidly expanded into a force of over tbree thousand women. The force was disbanded in 1948. Mrs McKenzie died on May 23rd, 1982 at age 90. At the time of the Korean War, the Womens Royal Australian Naval Service was re-formed. The first postwar entrants and re-entrants arrived in CERBERUS in 1952. Among them was Petty Officer Writer Eve Ekert who had served with distinction during World War II - being commended by General Macarthur’s Headquarter Staff for outstanding devotion to duty. Eve was promoted to First Officer (Lieutenant Commander) and was the Officer in Charge of WRANS, HMAS CERBERUS before her retirement. In 1977, it was decided that selected WRANS of the Weapons Electrical Engineering Branch would undergo specialised training in HMAS NIRIMiBA. After a great deal of correspondence and inter-departmental discussion regarding the matter of accommodation for WRANS at HMAS NIRIMBA, Senior Wran ETC Linda Neilson arrived in NIRIMBA on 25th March 1979, to commence training. Training of Electrical Technical WRANS has continued at HMAS NIRIMBA since then, albeit in small numbers. In 1980 the WRANS’ horizon in HMAS NIRIMBA was widened when WRANS of non-technical categories began to take up Ship’s Company billets.

WRAN Apprentices S Burt and R P Sgro the first WRAN Apprentices in the RAN Joined NIRIMBA - January 1984

62 Skilled Hands at Sea Members of the Womens Royal Australian Naval Service who have served in HMAS NIRIMBA, either in training billets or Ship’s Company billets, to date have been: Senior WRAN ETC U Neilson WRCK L D Hansen SWRETC K L Adcock WRAN R O Wheeler SWRETC K C Dymond SWRETC T A Bond SWRETC C L King WRCK K M Arnup SWRETC J G Ellison SWRETC J A Phillips SWRETC C A Mitchell SWRETC A Hutchinson WWRRO (T) L M Walsh SWRETC McKinnon SWRETC G B Thomas SWRWTR H M Manning LWRSTD K Shari SWRETC S R Vandermark POWRSTD Toni Bensley SWRSTD P Tolson SWRETC D P Walters LWRSTD S J Lennard SWRIETC J Cooling LWRCOX S A Manzi WRCOOK I J Firkins SWRCK J Beacroft WRETC C Nichols SWRCK S Brinkies LWRRO (S) N M Read SWRMED G Byrne WRWTR M Longman SWRCK L Ford SWRLIN L M Sayers SWRWTR C Higgins LWRSTD G Fazackerley LWRMED K Hogan SWWTR F J Ames SWETC J Ireland SWRMED E D Webb SWRETC A Keyes WRMTD A M Carroll SWRETC J Pronger SWRETC V C Edwards SWRSN E Smith WRSN Elaine Forsyth LWRSV M Stewart WRSTD D Galea LWRPT J Thrupp SWRETC T F Kirk SWRNSTD K Trawin WRMTD K R Lynch WRSN K Willmott SWRMED Saywell SWRSN C Jabour Sub Lientenant Jenny Lloyd WRANS WRETC M C Schelling SWRETC A Bricknell First WRAN Officer posted to HMAS NIRIMBA WRETC Stennett SWRSV S A Mulvaney Captains Secretary from July 1982 SWRSTD Smith LWRWTR K L Bleazard

Some of the above ladies are married to members of the - Petty Officer WRAN Steward Toni Bensley is the wife Of Petty Officer John Bensley - stalwart Of Navy Rugby. WRANSV Sharon Mulvaney is the wife of ABSV Neil Mulvaney and WRAN Chris Jabour is married to LSDEN Arnie Jabour - sportsman of some note. Senior WRAN Writer Christine Higgins, NIRIMBA’s entrant in the Princess of Thorndale Quest in aid of the Handicapped Persons Centre located at Werrington, won the 1983 quest raising over $10,000 for the Centre. She was crowned Princess of Thorndale from the seventeen entrants. Highlights of Christine Higgins fund raising activities were a Cabaret Night and a Dinner Dance on board NIRIMBA. Both functions were supported by leading TV and club artists and the Porirua New Zealand, band - the New Horizons. Among Christine’s prizes was a trip for two to Hawaii. The first WRANS Apprentices joined in january 1984 when WRAN Apprentice S Burt and R P Sgro began training in HMAS NIRIMBA. The first WRANS Officer to be posted to HMAS NIRIMBA in a permanent billet is Sub Lieutenant Jenny Lloyd (Supply Branch), who joined HMAS NIRIMBA in July 1982. Midshipman WRANS Gena Rochester joined HMAS NIRIMBA in August 1982 to work on the staff of the Executive Officer. The first WRANS Instructor Officer Sub-Lieutenant Pam Woodham, to serve in HMAS NIRIMBA, joined the training staff in 1984. Midshipman WRANS Sharon Lee Appleyard served in HMAS NIRIMBA in 1983-84, under training.

Skilled Hands at Sea 63 Senior WRAN Writer Christine Higgins

64 Skilled Hands at Sea