Trainees relish homecoming following S’pore voyage

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It was a long-awaited homecoming for three Papua New Guineans as the Royal Australian Navy’s largest ship, HMAS Adelaide, sailed into Port Moresby on Sunday.
Three Royal Papua New Guinea Maritime Element trainees were on board the ship during Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, having sailed from Singapore under their training on the Royal Australian Navy’s new entry officers’ course.
Additionally, HMAS Adelaide has two crew members with strong family connections in PNG.
Midshipman Meshech Tobi described the training as valuable.
“The sea training deployment has been the most enjoyable aspect of the course so far,” Tobi said.
“I have learnt a number of different leadership styles, which will be valuable for my future career as an officer of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force Maritime Element.”
Midshipman Emanuel Seko, from Kimbe in West New Britain, was excited to be visiting Port Moresby as part of the deployment.
“Travelling to PNG as well as living and working on a landing helicopter dock in Adelaide has been my favourite part of the course so far,” Seko said. Joint Task Force 661 commander Captain Jonathan Earley said it was pleasing to visit PNG during HMAS Adelaide’s transit home to Sydney.
“Australia has a long historical and mutually beneficial defence relationship with Papua New Guinea, and it is a privilege to be able to bring HMAS Adelaide into Port Moresby,” Earley said.
“The genuine people-to-people links between our two defence forces continue to grow and I’m delighted to provide an opportunity for the three PNGDF trainee officers to come back with the Australian Defence Force.”