I went into the Navy as a baby at 19 years and stayed for just under 13 years. I had to wait until I was 19 as only boys could enlist at 16. Females had to wait longer and still had to have their parents’ signature on the forms.
My father was a sailor so I followed in his footsteps in a way. He was post-Second World War and never deployed but he was very proud when I enlisted. I was able to do something very very special before he died. I was on HMAS Sydney and they had a parent and child cruise. I took him from Sydney to Hobart on the ship. He died not long after. Thus, it was pretty special for us both.
I was an Officer Steward – I was a valet for a good part of my junior career. I worked at the Captain’s house; I was his private assistant looking after the house which included organising all the dinner parties for dignitaries. A highlight of that time, around early 1980s, I served the Governor-General at one event and had to learn to curtsy!
In the late 1980s, my first posting was on HMAS Jervis Bay as Captain’s Valet but also a Junior Sailor so there was less responsibility for me. It was a training ship for midshipmen so it was good fun because it wasn’t very ‘war like’ at all. It was a good and easy posting and when females were just starting to go to sea.
The second ship I was posted onto was HMAS Sydney, a warship, a real ship and you had to act as such. My rank was Petty Officer but it was also quite difficult. Being a female Senior Sailor, we should have had our own quarters but because having women on board was quite new the ship wasn’t set up for women sailors like it was for men. So, I was put in with the female Junior Sailors which made things a bit difficult at times. More because of the rank I held and I had to uphold the discipline and structure.
I was one the first Senior Sailor females to ever get posted onto a warship but I left service not long before the ship left for the Gulf. Being one of the first female Senior Sailors on HMAS Sydney was a highlight because it was historical and is now written as history.
Advancing through the ranks is like a report card … you have a performance you have to meet and then there were only a certain number of positions in the next rank to be filled so you had to go in line. Once someone was promoted to a higher rank then, if your performances had been met and it was your turn, you could in turn be promoted to the rank up the line. You start as a Seaman and advance to Able Seaman then Leading Seaman and then Petty Officer. Next is Chief Petty Officer and Warrant Officer.
I left the Navy with quite a few skills so I transitioned into civilian life easily but I did miss the people. I found it very difficult moving from being with 100 people to being with one. You do miss the camaraderie.
This is the story of Kim Brown as told to Carla Edwards.
