When I joined this illustrious organisation sport was encouraged, and time off mandatory on a Wednesday. If you weren’t within 100 feet of the training commander so was Friday afternoon. Now the same can not be said. Not that I decry our predicament or sit here complaining bitterly, but it is worth pointing out one or two of the changes which are sweeping through our organisation. Where, however do I start……….. Sport and make n’ mend. Two institutions of the Navy which have been squeezed from existence for a vast majority of the Officer Corp. We maintain the ’tradition’ for the lads n’ lasses but on the whole the quaint idea has evaporated if you are hairs breadth above a Lt.
I offer two explanations, 1. we are to busy and 2 we think we are to busy. Let me expand. We are busy; School liaison visits, visits from women’s, veteran’s, and interested ousider groups combined with a virulent good ideas club has made the life of the average schoolie one major merry go round. We are expected to conduct major change management projects including the development and of training and supporting IT infrastructures with little command direction or understanding. Notice I haven’t even mentioned the delivery of training? We are here to deliver training granted, but it takes a back seat in comparison to the busy load of school kids we’re trying to interest in engineering…….
The second reason is we think we are to busy. The organisation has considerable mis conception of what is busy. An operational tour is busy, watch keeping strangely isn’t as there are pre-determined times off….. being off watch is an excuse to close the door and sleep. Operational Sea Training is busy. Doing your day job isn’t. It is the other jobs around the edges which makes life difficult. I see the same officers constantly declaring they are busy while heading out the door at 4-30pm. They take every opportunity to tell the world that they have x number of gaps and yet the organisation continues to function. Training continues as do the visits, and just as telling, so does the Adventure Training, the Skiing Championships and arranging of social activities. Aren’t we such a busy bunch!!
here endeth this rant
