26 NAVY NEWS, JUNE 2009
Marines light up
Rugby raiserssers
SIMON BURNS, the Navy’s
IF YOU want to go weak at the knees – spend a day with the Royal Rugby Union head coach of the
Marines in Leeds. under-23s, has joined forces
The city’s reserve unit has joined forces with Candlelighters Children with a young rugby fan to
Charity to hold a fundraising abseil from one of the city’s tallest support Cancer Research UK.
buildings – a prospect almost bound to make your knees tremble... Sam John, 12, was an
On June 6-7 any volunteers brave enough to take the challenge can enthusiastic player until he was
abseil from the 170ft-high One City Square building. diagnosed with a brain tumour
The idea for the event came from Lance Corporal Marc Whitham, at the age of nine. His gruelling
whose nephew has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia. Marc and treatment ended in March and
his family have been very grateful to Candlelighters, a small regional now he has turned his energy
charity which helps children with cancer. to supporting his team at
The recently-formed but growing Leeds Detachment Royal Marines Gosport and Fareham RFC.
hope the event will help raise much-needed funds, as well as putting Sam, from Fareham, joined
their unit on the map. Simon to hand over a pair of
For details and an application form, go to www.candlelighters.org. rugby boots to the Cancer
uk/rmcharityabseil or ring 0113 247 0372 Research UK shop in Havant.
The charity urgently needs
Riding for Elkie
goods to stock its shops
across the country as more
and more customers snap up
charity shop bargains.
INSTRUCTORS from the Aldridge will cycle from their
Simon Burns, who has 17
Communications Warfare Training Fareham base to RM Poole
caps playing for the RNRU
Element at HMS Collingwood (where Elkie was based at
against the Army and RAF, also
RNBT runner
are getting on their bikes to raise the time of the accident), the
gave Sam a rugby shirt donated
money for an injured friend PO National Memorial Arboretum in
by the RNRU Community
Stephen ‘Elkie’ Brookes. Staffordshire, Old Trafford (Elkie’s
Rugby Development officer,
A CHALLENGE to a perhaps Elkie was injured in a motorbike team is Manchester United), then
CPO Dusty Miller.
slightly overweight matelot has accident last year and is now back to HMS Collingwood via
resulted in over £330 for the at the spinal unit in Salisbury the base’s Staffordshire affiliation
RNBT. diagnosed as a tetraplegic, where at Stone.
The friends of CPO Robert he is fighting to restore his The cycle venture is timed to
‘Taff’ Govier challenged him independence through a rigorous coincide with the Collingwood
before Christmas to take part in rehabilitation programme. Open Day and Field Gun
the Cardiff Sprint Triathlon. WO Bob Fuller, CPO Richard Competition – in which Elkie ran
Taff said: “Someone might as ‘Pincher’ Martin, LS Richard last year with the Collingwood A
Broad stripe
well profit from my pain, and I ‘Ronnie’ O’Sullivan, and Simon Crew.
was very aware that charitable
donations to the three Services
‘core’ charities had seen a
Stomping the Wall
dramatic downfall, hence I chose
the RNBT.”
THE ROMANS are coming! show the full glory of the Classis
He gave up smoking and lost
LLogs(SC) Derek Thompson Britannica alongside their Army
over two stone in weight, and five is leading a party of centurions colleagues.
months later race day was upon (or LLogs Douglas Owen, The walkers will all be togged
for Scott
him. LLogs(Pers) John Ros-Osborne, out in full Roman regalia, with the
He said: “Nerves almost got POLogs(SC) Mark Pooley and Army men garbed as 1st-century
the better of me as I lined up Logs(SC) David Emery) to walk Centurions, and Derek – a
COMMODORES get younger While Lauren inspected cadets
for the swim next to experienced Hadrian’s Wall in July in aid of Roman enthusiast – is seeking
every day – in fact the one
on training divisons and carried
triathletes, I realised though that Help for Heroes. out period 3rd-Century kit for his
on the right (pictured) is only
out the rounds, Cdr David Graham
if I wanted to finish I had to go at Operation Barbarian Stomp is Portsmouth-based Naval team. 22.
attended ships’ technology lectures
my own pace. being organised by 159 Support Find out more online But his rapid promotion was
and spent a happy Wednesday
“It was hard, very hard, but I Regiment of the Royal Logistics at www.justgiving.com/ short-lived for Officer Cadet Scott
afternoon playing sport.
“It was quite hard to keep a
was determined to put up a good Corps (V), and Derek and his hadrianswallwalk19-24jul09 for Smith, who paid £350 at a charity
straight face when inspecting
show.” compatriots are determined to more information. promises auction to spend the day
divisions and seeing my friends
as Commodore at Britannia Royal
march past saluting me,” said
Naval College.
Lauren.
Scott’s day started at 6am,
She added: “What was good
running round the ramps at the
is that no-one had let standards
front of the college, followed by
drop, so re-scrubs were not
breakfast in the Commodore’s
required!”
house with the real Commodore,
Lauren ate in the wardroom
Jake Moores, and family.
during the day and confessed to
After a morning of walking the
being a little surprised to realise
establishment and rounds with
that staff officers were “really
the First Lieutenant, Scott was
quite human and normal”.
surprised by how much of the
But as for who had the harder
college he had not been aware of,
Commodore has given me an day – history does not relate.
and the challenges of making the
inkling of the challenges faced.”
place run smoothly.
As a memento of the day
“It was a privilege to get the
the Commodore’s Executive
chance to look at life here in
Assistant, Lt Darren Davies, had
Rowe rows
the college from a very different
an order of supersession drawn up
perspective,” said Scott, who
IN A sublime case of nominative
and framed to be presented by the
joined the RN in 2006 as an
determinism (look it up – Ed), LS
Commodore – this time the real
Aircraft Engineering Technician
Alan ‘Skid’ Rowe of HMS Port-
Commodore.
and was fast-tracked through for
land intends to row a marathon
Scott’s wasn’t the first rapid
for Cancer Research UK.
officer training. promotion at Dartmouth. S/Lt
An experienced indoor rower
He added: “I was shattered Lauren Calvert swapped places
for over five years, Alan decided
by the end of the day but it with the Commander of the
to look for a bigger goal after
was brilliant and I learned so college for 24 hours following her
completing the Row the Suez
much. Spending time with the successful charity auction bid.
Challenge on board ship.
The chosen charity is close to
Alan’s heart, as his mother died
from cancer in 1989. He said:
“This will be an event that marks
the 20th anniversary of losing my
mum.
“I have lost several family mem-
bers and friends to different types
of cancer, and my wife’s step-dad
has also been diagnosed with the
illness.”
Alan expects to complete the
row in three hours 30 minutes.
Pledge your support on www.
justgiving.com/alanrowe1.
Quadruple
Collingwood
● (Left to right) AB Simon Williams, AB Declan Quirke, Mrs Jenny
Thomas (Headteacher), Leading Weapons Engineering Artifi cer
FOR the fourth year on the trot,
John Ramos, and AB Conor Hardman
HMS Collingwood has been
Picture: Dave Sherfield
awarded the Royal National Life-
Deeps pave the way
boats Institution charity shield.
Norman Tattersall, RNLI
Fareham branch president, said:
“No one has won the shield four
times consecutively before so this
FOUR trainee submariners from HMS Raleigh responded to a plea from
is a first.
Bishop Cornish School, in Saltash, to help put the fi nishing touches to
“To win the charity shield four
their new education centre.
times in a row shows great effi-
The team spent the day at the school preparing the ground for a path
ciency.”
to be laid around the new building, which will provide nursery care,
The money was raised on the
music lessons and a before and after school club. warfare officer courses, through
Head teacher Jenny Thomas said: “We are delighted to be associated a fancy-dress coffee morning and
with HMS Raleigh. Their help has been invaluable in helping us achieve from profits made in the Senior
this wonderful building.” and Junior rates mess.
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