NAVY NEWS, JANUARY 2010 15
PSP scheme
wins trophy
Comms connection
for RN pair
HAND-held gaming consoles
were the bright idea which won a
trophy for two RN officers.
Yes, we know that Lts Ian
is finally broken
Stubbs and Alex Smith did not
come up with the idea of the Sony
PSP.
WHEN PO Kirsten Sare Service exchanges were
● LAET Stewart Wright
But what they did do was use
the consoles to make training
surrendered her RN
based predominately at air
material accessible to gadget-savvy
identity card and left the
stations, so for Kirsten Yeovilton
RN students. RN last month, she rang
and Culdrose were her draft
Stewart
Using bespoke software, down the curtain of the
destinations.
In 1990 the announcement
trainees can work on their maths
former specialisation of
was made to put female
and engineering skills using the
takes the
telephonist.
personnel to sea, so ending the
hand-held gear at home or on
The Telephonist Branch
WRNS as a separate service.
deployment before they attend
actually ceased to exist 15 years
There was no male
their courses, speeding up the
bronze
ago, and Kirsten saw many of
equivalent of the telephonist
learning process once they go into
her colleagues leave the Service
specialisation, and Kirsten, like
the classroom.
ROYAL Navy technician Stewart
fairly soon after.
her colleagues, opted out of
The idea was a GEMS winner,
Wright has scooped a medal at an
But Kirsten took the
sea service, limiting their career
and was one of three shortlisted
international skills competition.
opportunities offered by the
prospects.
as a finalist at the ideasUK awards
Stewart, a leading air
RN and successfully completed
One job that had always
ceremony.
engineer, won bronze for aircraft
22 years of service.
appealed to Kirsten was to be
The other two were Lt Col
maintenance at the WorldSkills
“When I look back to 1987
a Part 1 Instructor at HMS Raleigh, so she
Nigel Linge (Retd), who suggested
2009 competition in Canada.
when I joined the then Women’s Royal Naval grabbed the chance to take up that role with
a way of making vastly more
He had been crowned
Service I can see a wealth of differences,” said artificer apprentices.
efficient use of QinetiQ’s facilities
Technician of the Year in the UK
Kirsten. “There is really nothing more satisfying
for ammunition testing, and WO1
Skills contest earlier last year.
“We weren’t allowed to go to sea, carry and for me than to see a young person develop
Ewan MacDonald, who came
WorldSkills, for both military
fire a weapon or run in Field Gun teams. during the challenges of basic training, either
up with a Universal Electronic
and civilian trainees, attracted 848
“All our instructors were female, other than at Raleigh or here in Britannia Royal Naval
Counter Measures Deployment
competitors from 51 countries
the PTIs, and our firefighting training was College,” said Kirsten.
Frame for explosive ordnance
competing in 45 different skills,
minimal – along the lines of how to put out a “Those first experiences can affect a
disposal (EOD) teams.
from hairdressing to web design.
chip pan fire. person’s service career in every way and huge
● PO Kirsten Sare
Each of the finalists had to
Stewart had to complete a
“The constant professional determination responsibility lies on the shoulders of the
Picture: Craig Keating (VT Flagship)
present their projects and the
number of tasks, including pre-
and dedication of service personnel remains trainers.”
progress of their suggestions to
flight checks for a fixed-wing
the same though.”
a panel of independent judges
Between working at Raleigh and as a
“I was quite a bit older than most of the
aircraft and a full aircraft rig.
A former Sea Cadet, Kirsten completed
during the ideasUK conference,
team member for the RN Officers Initial
students on course,” Kirsten admitted, “but
Having finished his technical
her basic training then went to Culdrose
in Chester.
Training, PO Sare did more general duties
the whole thing was fascinating and I really
training at HMS Sultan, LAET
for specialist training – telephonists were an
They were competing with 60
including manpower allocation and running
hope I will be able to break into that area of
Wright is now based at RAF
integral part of the communication system,
others from UK companies, public
accommodation for Phase 2 trainees.
employment.
Wittering, working on Harrier
organisations and international
and she learned her trade on the traditional Kirsten has had a long held interest in “It does seem quite scary to be leaving
GR7 and GR9 aircraft with 20
firms.
plug boards. the world of cosmetics, which she started to the RN after all this time, but the Service
(Reserve) Squadron.
The Navy’s duo’s idea saw them
“Colleagues today readily forget there were develop by attending night classes in beauty I joined is hugely different from the one I
“It was fantastic to be part of the
take the Public Sector trophy, with
no such things as ‘level 0’ lines or mobile make up before progressing to take a diploma leave today, not least for the fantastic leaps in
UK team,” said LAET Wright.
the judges describing their efforts
phones, so all outside calls had to made through in theatrical and media make up. communications technology. “It was a great opportunity to
as “an exemplar of innovation
an operator or be made from a telephone box,” She opted to attend the Delamar Academy “Things were different in 1987 – not meet people from all walks of life
within the public sector and an
she said. in London to train as a make-up artist.
necessarily better, just different!” from all over the world.”
object lesson for the private sector
to consider when addressing the
training needs of both experienced Courage award for aviators
staff and new entrants.”
THE crew of Rescue 193, 771 rough seas 150 miles off Scilly.
Engineer to
Naval Air Squadron, have been Rescue 193 located the ship
recognised by the Guild of in the dark, and CPO Dave Rigg
Air Pilots and Air Navigators managed to get on board despite
head safety
(GAPAN) with the prestigious the boat rolling severely and rising
Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue and falling 45ft in the swell.
Award. The injured sailor had almost
organisation
The award was presented for been cut in half by a snapped cable,
displaying “outstanding courage and despite the aviators’ efforts –
and devotion to duty” for an CPO Rigg spent an hour trying to
A FORMER Royal Navy engineer
arduous mission to rescue a stabilise him before he could be
has been elected the next president
severely-injured fisherman in gale taken aloft – he died before they
of the world’s largest health and
force 8 conditions. could land him ashore.
safety professional body.
The team was scrambled at the The Navy crew had been on
Steve Granger (50) is the
request of Spanish authorities to duty for nearly 20 hours by the
president elect of the Institution
help a man on a fishing boat in time they returned to Culdrose.
of Occupational Safety and
Health (IOSH), which has more
than 35,000 members in 85
countries.
Having joined the Navy
at the age of 18, Steve spent
13 years in the Services before
beginning a career in health and
safety; he is now director of his
own consultancy, the Granger
Partnership.
Speaking of his time in the
Forces, Steve said: “Working for the
Royal Navy gave me an insight into
the management and maintenance
of industrial plant and machinery,
electrical systems, refrigeration,
pressurised systems, hazardous
fluid handling, emergency
procedures and fire prevention, all
of which have been critical to the
development of my career.
“There’s no doubt that my time
with the Royal Navy helped me
to carve out my career – it helped ● (From left) Nigel Pardoe and Tom Copeland, both ex-CPOSRs,
me develop the skills and life and Tony Knott, ex-RN Hydrographic Branch lieutenant, on board
experience I needed to move into Geo Atlantic
health and safety.”
Trafalgar Prize for
Droggies reunited
weapons specialist
THE end of 2009 found no fewer provided by the RN, then they
A COLLINGWOOD officer
then three ex-RN droggies working wouldn’t be where they are today.
together on board a seismic ship Tony works as a navigation client
has won the Trafalgar Prize for
in the Southern Hemisphere. rep, looking after the interests of
the best RN post-graduate after
Nigel ‘Pedro’ Pardoe and Tom the oil company on whose behalf
achieving a record average score of
‘TC’ Copeland, both former a survey is carried out.
88 per cent in his masters degree.
CPOSRs, and Tony Knott, a Tom works for Fugro in field
Lt Cdr Ade Richardson, part
former Hydrographic Branch support and training, shuttling
of the Maritime Capability Trials
Lieutenant, are working on the round all Fugro Seismic vessels,
and Assessment organisation, is an
Fugro Seismic Vessel Geo Atlantic while Nigel is regular crew on the
underwater weapons specialist.
off North-West Australia. Geo Atlantic seismic team.
He enrolled on the year-
All three have worked Among them they can draw on
long MSc in Engineering and continuously in the seismic more than 80 years experience.
Management at the University industry since leaving the Navy, Tom and Nigel live in the
of Portsmouth to further his and agree that without the UK, whilst Tony’s home is in the
understanding and knowledge. introduction to the profession Philippines.
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