RIMPAC 2010

They seemed to focus more on showing the side of military musicians that people don’t necessarily see. Our display showed the versatility of our musicians, and focused not only on the ceremonial aspect but also on our current contribution to deployed forces in the Middle East. The audience seemed to enjoy our rendition of 'Long Way to the Top' and 'I Still Call Australia Home'. It's always a challenging but rewarding event to be involved in and great for building friendships with other Australian and international bands. Earlier this year I was fortunate to be involved in the official opening of TECHPORT in Adelaide. TECHPORT is a maritime industrial precinct in South Australia that was built to support the building of the new Air Warfare Destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy. I was asked to sing 'I am Australian' as the employees of the organisation were revealed. The then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd MP and the Minister for Defence were in attendance. It was a great event to be part of and I could tell it meant a lot to the workers to be involved in such an important project for South Australia. In March this year we were given the opportunity to join with members of the Melbourne detachment to record music for the A Flagship Recital Mark III at Trackdown studios. One of the pieces, 'The Divine Comedy' by Robert W Smith featured the percussion section. We used chains and water glasses to create certain effects within the movements and experimented with different sounds. As ANZAC day was approaching Able Seaman Dayne Grindley and I were asked to perform at the AFL match between the SWANS and the EAGLES at the SCG on the 24 April. I sang the National Anthem and Able Seaman Dayne Grindley belted out a great 'Last Post'. Sporting events are always a lot of fun to be involved in (especially the free tickets) and it's always an honour to represent the Royal Australian Navy and our band. I was also given the opportunity to sing the Australian and French National Anthems at the Rugby match between the Australian Navy and French Navy. It was another challenge and opportunity, which was well-received. Auditions seem to be going strong; finally we have managed to find some clarinet players! (Fingers crossed they make it through the recruiting process). Over the next few months, we have a number of applicants waiting to get a spot in recruit school; hopefully we will be welcoming some of them in the near future. As always, the feedback from audiences is exemplary from all detachments. I receive a lot of letters and emails and comments from the Navy feedback website about how much everyone enjoys our music and how professional they find our concerts. It's always great to hear appreciation and even suggestions from our audiences. As my last days in the public relations role come to an end, I would like to thank everyone in the Director’s office for making me feel welcome and providing a fun environment to work in. I feel like I have achieved a lot both professionally and personally and have learnt a lot from my role as Public Relations Manager. I am looking forward to moving back to the Sydney detachment, and I know that after this break from regular singing duties I have developed some fresh ideas and new motivation. I would like to wish Leading Seaman Cathy Wainwright luck in her new role as the Public Relations Manager. I am sure she will enjoy the break and enjoy learning about how the other side of the job works.

RIMPAC 2010

Article from the Navy Internet Site

The RAN Band Sea Deployment Group, embarked in HMAS Kanimbla, has held a series of public performances during the Exercise Rim-of-the- Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010, starting with a performance at one of Hawaii’s most important and historic sites. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, marks the site where America’s war in the Pacific began. It is home now to two World War 2 memorials – the USS Arizona which was sunk by the Japanese, USS Oklahoma and USS Missouri, where the Japanese surrendered at the end of the war. The Sea Deployment Group played on site for an impressive two and a half hours.