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from 10% to 25% of the ship’s company by the time I left. I believe my example gives women the confidence that the Navy is for them, that they want to be part of it - they then tell their friends and it gives them encouragement as well. I was very fortunate that by the time I joined the Navy, that men and women did the same training. Whilst the Royal Marines and the submarines service were still closed to women at that time, we still had a great deal of opportunities. At every promotion board and in exams I have competed on an absolutely level playing field and enjoyed equal pay as well. In other industries and professions, this is still not the case.”
Sarah was last at BRNC teaching navigation to all trainee naval officers in 2003. Has much changed? “Not a lot although the navigation equipment we get to use has got a lot more sophisticated! Electronic and computing advances have transformed the way we navigate – indeed paper charts have now almost been phased out”.
A typical Command posting at BRNC lasts for approximately 2 years. Can a new Head of Establishment change much in that time? “What’s great about BRNC is that our core output doesn’t alter – creating future leaders with the spirit to fight and win. This doesn’t change and it’s very much a collective effort. I think I am an innovator and I want to empower people but I won’t change things just for the sake of it. It’s much more about evolution. We changed our six-phase entry back to three terms per year which makes our lives simpler. Before it was relentless and demanding and didn’t give us time to draw breath. There’s
a slower rhythm now to the place which allows us to ‘tweak’ things and add value. The world today requires new thinking and we have introduced new courses in critical thinking skills so that our cadets have the tools to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The training we give here makes our students ready to do the jobs for which they joined. But their training and development continues in every role they take on throughout their careers.”
Sarah is keenly aware that the College’s relationship with the town is extremely important. “We are a significant employer in South Devon – a lot of
our staff live locally. Of course, we bring a lot of business to the town but, in the same way, we rely on the town for support. That’s very important and we can’t take it for granted. The town very clearly embraces the College and its cadets and it’s a very warm relationship. It’s a reputation that is hard won but easily broken so we must continue to do things correctly – I am very aware of that. It’s such a lovely town to be part of, for cadets to walk down to the town for a short escape from the rigours of their courses.”
“I believe my example gives women the
confidence that the Navy is for them, that they want to be part of it - they
then tell their friends and it gives them
encouragement as well.”
What about down time for the new Captain? “There’s not a lot of it in this role! My husband, Darren is a Group Captain in the RAF specialising in cyberspace engineering, so we both lead busy lives and work a long way apart. We have a
house near Portsmouth which is our family base but I doubt I will see much of it for a while or so. I’m looking forward to getting out and exploring the local area around Dartmouth. Maybe a bit of gardening here in the grounds of the college and around the Captain’s House. I know I will be busy but what I am doing is very exciting, interesting and varied. I aim to have a lot of fun!”•
Keep up to date with life at BRNC via the college Twitter feed @ DartmouthBRNC.
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