No-one
could adequately describe what life was like as a JR at Leeuwin. Some
thrived on the discipline and routine, others only just coped and
some didn't. Each JR dealt with it in his own personal way. And each
Junior Recruit intake will tell you that they had a harder time of
it than the intakes that came after them. Although one aspect was
certainly true for all, sympathy was in short supply and if you had
personal problems then you had better deal with them quickly.
There
was never enough time. Whatever the expected time was to complete
a given task, the navy reduced it by half. A sense of urgency prevailed
every moment of the day in JRTE. Therefore one was always under stress,
for the consequences of missing a class or muster, dressed in the
appropriate, clean, crisp rig were dire not just for you, but your
entire group or class.
The
best form of survival was to have good mates. If you had a circle
of good mates then you could handle mostly anything, for without them
despair and despondency could set in at an alarming rate. To be labeled
a 'grub', thief or other form of low life could see the individual
being ostracized by his peers, this form of mental cruelty was perhaps
the most dreaded of all fates.
Life
did get easier as the months rolled on, as you climbed the 'corporate
ladder', Intake-wise. For every three months you were elevated one
rung higher as the never ending sausage machine pumped more JRs into
the fleet. You settled in to the very familiar daily routine and understanding
the language and rules more and more with each passing day. Also getting
physically and mentally tougher as you met and triumphed over your
daily challenges. The last three months as the Senior Intake were
almost tolerable the main thoughts and focus being on passing final
exams, selecting your future branch category and leave. By this stage
all forms of " peer bastardisation" were gone, you were
well informed and new the 'lurks' and you were extremely fit both
physically and mentally.
Morrow
Division JRs
One
day late in our JR careers, we were the Senior Intake and 5 of us
from the same class decided to 'skulk' or cut a Navigation Class.
We holed ourselves up in the Toilet Block at the Academic School and
were caught. We were charged with Skulking and the 5 of us were marched
in front of the Commander and ordered to 'Off Caps' whilst we received
punishment. The Commander's way of awarding punishment was that he
walked down the line and stopped to ask each JR which State in Australia
he was from. After each JR's reply the Commander awarded 7 Days No.
9s and 14 Days No. 10's. That is until he got to Fred Snyder. Fred
was from Renmark in Sth Australia.
Fred said, in a loud clear voice "South Australia, Sir!".
He
pushed his tortured face into that of Fred's and spraying him at close
range with his spittle
the Commander launched into a tirade of abuse citing that since he
had been Commander of JRTE that South Australians, in his opinion,
had proved themselves to be, on the whole, the worst. "Thieves,
Malingerers, Liars, Bullies, Dirty, Contemptible, lazy individuals"
he had ever met and doubled Fred's punishment from what the other
4 of us received to 14 Days No 9's and 30 Days No 10's (Stoppage of
leave).
We
were not to let Fred forget that and gained quite a great deal of
amusement from the incident. We were also thankful to our parents
for not having been born and raised in South Australia. Of course
there was no form of appeal and no whinging, you copped it sweet.
He was a good bloke Fred and none of us took the Commanders words
seriously.
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