Anzac Day in Mumbai

For a normal trombonist this may have been a concern, but for your intrepid reporter! No worries. With the aid of part of our issued rifle and Able Seaman Dan “Action” McMahon, the dent was removed: tragically the wrong notes remained intact and are still to be affecting one’s playing to this day. This good news of the repaired horn boded well, for we headed to our next, and possibly, most dangerous destination: Tarin Kowt. Tarin Kowt is in the Oruzgan province and has been the site of numerous battles with the Taliban. The base itself has a real look and feel of an old fort—the kind you’d see in an old western movie with John Wayne. The camp sits on some undulating hills before giving away to some fertile plains that lead quickly to steep, rugged mountains that are as old as time itself. Our friends the Dutch have a huge presence in the camp and our Aussie troops have formed a strong bond between these two diverse nations. Having said that, the Dutch were particularly keen to talk to the female section of our touring party. Perhaps the girls know more about clogs, or wooden shoes in general? We had two gigs in Tarin Kowt. The first was performed mainly for RTF3 who were about to head home after over six months of being deployed. I’m sure their spirits were so high in anticipation of returning home they would have applauded a grass growing competition. Luckily we were slightly more animated and entertaining and the show was a hit. The second night was a complete contrast. The previous night’s audience had gleefully flown out—courtesy of Herc Airways (What a great way to fly!) —and our new audience, RTF4 was ready for action. Unfortunately the only action they were up for was getting stuck into the Taliban, not listening to us. The fact that the lighting and electrical system decided to die mid song did not help. Fortunately due to some quick work by ‘Action’ Dan the show went on and the troops warmed to our show. Once again the troops seemed quite interested in the ladies garments—must be an army thing? After a quick phone call to Chief Petty Officer Stapleton back in Sydney to reiterate the fact we were there and he wasn’t, we took off for a luxurious C130 trip back to home base in the Middle East Area of Operations. So, the Royal Australian Navy band expands its list of War theatres supported. Friendships were made and strengthened. Instruments were broken and livers cleansed. Afghanistan and the Royal Australian Navy Band haven’t been quite the same since.

ANZAC DAY IN MUMBAI

Article by Leading Seaman Esa Douglas

ANZAC Day for four musicians of the Sydney detachment was a little different this year. Chief Petty Officer Andrew Stapleton, Leading Seaman Tracy Burke, Leading Seaman Esa Douglas and Able Seaman Chris Thompson flew over to Mumbai in India a couple of days before ANZAC Day to meet with HMAS Arunta. HMAS Arunta was on its way home to Australia after a six month deployment in the Middle East, and had a stop over in Mumbai after finishing exercises with the Indian Navy. The Dawn service had an air of greater significance with the sailors returning from active service and reflecting on those who had served before them. A number of poems were read by the ships company and struck a chord with all when the poems read were from a perspective of a sailor, and one from a little boy marching with the diggers in remembrance of his daddy. The reflective nature of the service was made more poignant with the stirring bugle call by Chief Petty Officer Stapleton, and the naval hymn being beautifully sung by Leading Seaman Burke. The next day, the ship hosted a cocktail party for Indian Navy Officers and Australians who were currently residing and working in India, followed by a ceremonial sunset by the guard and band members. The ceremonial sunset began with the traditional Beat to Quarters and a rousing rendition of My Country sung by Leading Seaman Burke. The guard marched out to Royal Australian Navy and completed the Ceremonial Sunset, finally marching off to our unofficial anthem, Waltzing Matilda. The Commanding Officer and all of the ships crew were very welcoming and made our experience quite enjoyable. The fact that we were there was greatly appreciated by both ships’ crew and attending visitors; one lady commenting that it felt like we had bought her a little bit of “home”.

In between rehearsals and the ceremonies, we were able to have a bit of a look around Mumbai. We visited the Gateway to India, and saw how the rich lived by going into the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. An interesting restaurant we came across was the “Sachin Tendulkar Restaurant”, which featured some of his favourite meals, as well as cricket and sporting memorabilia. With 18 million people in one city, it is more crowded and traffic crazier than you can imagine! It was easy to strike up a conversation with the taxi drivers by just mentioning cricket, Brett Lee and Shane Warne obvious favourites. On Sunday, the pace did slow down quite considerably, but probably because everyone was on every playing field available playing cricket! India was certainly an experience, and by receiving the great support and appreciation from HMAS Arunta by providing some live music for them ensured our trip was a success.