SLIPSTREAM The Quarterly Journal of the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia, JANUARY, 1998 -s::~ ·--C) ~------The Official Publication....... of the Australian Naval Aviation Museum Foundation SHELF ,eT ,ociation of Australia Inc. - Print Post Approved - PP201494/00022 ·eet, NOWRA, NSW 2541, Australia. Phone/Fax: (02) 4423 3448 CW2-C :Jo1so.102 COMMANDER G.D. CHRISTIAN, RAN Commander during which time he Gerry Christian is a was promoted. Seaman Officer who Secondment to has specialised in HMAV BOUNTY Anti-Air Warfare. followed, where He commands the Lieutenant Australian guided Commander missile frigate, Christian sailed as the H M A S First Mate, a position MELBOURNE. previously held by his On joining the great-great-great­ RAN in 1976 he great grand father. undertook Diploma During the five week Studies at the Royal passage from Tahiti to Australian Naval Tonga he participated College . Initial in the re-enactment of bridge watchkeeping the Mutiny on the was conducted in Bounty on the 200th HMAS VAMPIRE anniversary of that and culminated in occasion. On return award of a full ticket he was posted to whilst subsequently RAN Staff College. serving in HMAS He holds the RAN HOBART. Staff College Medal Employment in for RAN SC 22/89. HMAS IBIS In January 1990 he followed whilst commenced duties as consolidating his Staff Officer Flotillas ticket, before a and participated in posting to HMAS numerous workups ASSAIL as and continuation Executive Officer. training assessments During his tenure as at sea. He continued XO, the ship was this role throughout awarded the Kelly the initial workup of Shield for Minor War Vessel proficiency. Returning to RANC RAN units deployed to the Gulf War. His training role was in 1982, the then Lieutenant Christian taught Astro-navigation transformed to an operational role as Staff Officer to and undertook Divisional Officer duties for eighteen months . Commander Task Group 627 .4 for the first Operation During this period he successfully led the second RANC DAMASK deployment. On return from the first deployment, advanced adventure training expedition to Kokoda Track. he quickly found himself at sea as Executive Officer HMAS Warefare training commenced with Air Intercept Control DARWIN and returning for a further Operation DAMASK and Assistant Principal Warfare Officer courses in 1984 deployment in 1991. Highlights of this year included selection followed by a posting to HMAS PERTH as the AIC. Selection for promotion to Commander and the ship winning the coveted for Exercise Sea Surge enabled him to travel to England and Gloucester Cup for Major War Vessel proficiency. join HMS NOTTINGHAM as Signal Communications· The majority of his time in the rank of Commander has Officer. Unfortunately the ship did not remain m England. b~en served in Navy Office. During 1992-93 he served as the He was forced to cruise the Caribbean as the ship was assigned Deputy Director of Naval Policy and in 1994-95 as Assistant Royal Yacht escort duties. supporting the Commonwealth Director of Naval Officers' Postings. He attended Joint Heads of Government Meeting in the Bahamas . Returning to Services Staff College in 1996. Commander Christian lives Australia, Lieutenant Christian undertook Principal Warfare in Sydney with his wife, Suzanne and their three children - training in country. He was then posted to HMAS DARWIN Sarah and twins Tom and Rachel. His interests include as Direction Officer. He spent the next two years in DARWIN international affairs, adventure training and all sport. January, 1998 - Slipstream/Fly Navy Dear Colleagues, a special feature on the 50th Anniversary and the Reunion as a Firstly, all of us here at Nowra wish all our members and families wrap around oflast week's edition and this has promoted interest the very best of fortunes .for 1998 and beyond. There's no doubt in the local community. that we live in very interesting times and watching the Although we have arranged with regional newspapers and radio preparations for the Olympics shows the scale of some things stations to publicise the Reunion, this has various limitations that happen these days. You can make 1998 a very memorable and the best publicity is likely to be through the grapevine. We year for yourself and family by joining many of your old mates would be grateful if each member could make a point of at the FAA Reunion to celebrate 50 years of naval aviation in contacting old colleagues and let them know of it, better still, Australia in October-November this year. persuading them to come. Members will be pleased to know that the Association has a Now to news of the book on the history of the FAA . MaxAltham Constitution which has been agreed by all Divisions and which and I have been assisting Mike Lehan with this and we have has been approved by the appropriate statutory authority . With been struck by the many contributions members have made - that achieved I think we should now focus on the Association's stories, photographs and newspaper clippings. To use them all objectives and put some purpose to our efforts. We should try to would make the book a huge production and as there are limits make some progress before the Reunion so that we can compare to the size of the publication for cost reasons, regrettably many notes there. may not feature in it. They are all worth reading and we will Reunion planning is on the top of our minds here now that we have to think of a way of serialising them in Slipstream. The are into 1998 and we are moving into top gear. The foundation final draft of the book is nearly complete, ready for the publisher work for the FAA monument is about to start, procedures to make at the end of January. I recommend you order your copy . The Reunion registration simple and effective are being developed, plan is for the book to be launched during the Reunion. publicity is being stepped up and the fine details of the program Please continue to support Slipstream with your stories and are being worked out. We are working in harmony with the articles, we always need more. Again, our thanks go to Bob ALBATROSS Committee and we're finding a great interest Perkins for putting this edition together. among the local community. The South Coast Register published Best of Luck, Neil Ralph utmost courtesy by crew members at all levels and nothing was ever too much trouble. One example which immediately comes to mind was the kellick in charge of the Junior sailors cafe who, it EDITOR/At seemed to me at least, never slept, was always able to advise me of the whereabouts of the Women's Business Editor . Firstly, to all our readers, a happy, prosperous and successful Tours of the ship were arranged for the 'Sea Riders' and I was new year. very much impressed with the level of knowledge of the ship's From the comments I have received since assuming the systems each of our guides displayed. I must confess that in the responsibility for editing your journal it would seem that the 40 years since I first joined the RAN it was my first visit to a majority of members are happy with the product. I would remind ship's machinery spaces. You engineering type 'birdies' out there you however that any success I have enjoyed is mostly due to the would have been in your element - particularly those who worked assistance I have received from the many members who have on the old Gannets - with gas turbines and gear boxes to play offered their contributions . Those contributions, no matter how with and of course lots of documentation to go with it. minor they may seem, add flavour and substance to the journal. I am pleased with my decision to make the journey as it gave So please, keep your contributions coming. me a more realistic view of today's Navy. Those of you who In the corning year we intend to include a section in each edition attended the recent reunion on the Gold coast will recall Admiral devoted to stories about the serving members of the Fleet Air Barrie, in a speech to the members assembled, stating that he Arm, the work that they do and the ships they sail in. I believe it believed the serving sailor of today was every bit as good as his is worthwhile remembering that a number of our ships currently predecessors. My recent experience aboard HMAS in service and some of those now in the course of construction MELBOURNE gives me cause to support that view. are in fact 'Aircraft Carriers'. To gain some first hand experience It may be of interest to my readers to learn that MELBOURNE about this modern Navy, in early December your Editor and his carries a complement of about forty female sailors. It was often lady wife (the editor of 'Women's Business' you will recall) difficult to distinguish them from their male counterparts. While embarked on a voyage of discovery aboard the present HMAS this may sound uncomplimentary it is certainly not meant to be MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE was returning to Sydney Town so. It appeared to this observer that the female sailors were well for Xmas after a successful working up deployment in the west. integrated into the crew and only those of us from a different era We joined her in Melbourne Town for the two day passage to really gave the subject much thought. Certainly boy/girl stuff goes Sydney where our arrival was a decidedly festive occasion. on but senior NCO'S advise me that it is kept within bounds I was very much impressed with our new 'aircraft carriers' and onboard with a quiet word to the would be wicked should they the men and women who man them.