Leave
One
thing that was drummed into us very early was that "Leave is
a privilege - not a right!"
It can be taken away from you at will.
Wearing
of Naval Uniform (correctly) was compulsory at all times when ashore.
It was an offence to be in possession of civilian clothes.
We
were kept confined to the Establishment for the first 6 weeks after
arrival at JRTE, when after that time we would be allowed out for
our first Liberty. Providing of course we had behaved ourselves. Leave
was granted on Saturdays and Sundays for all those not required for
duty or under punishment. On Saturdays libertymen fell in at the Gangway
at 0900 and again at 1100, if you missed these musters then it was
bad luck, you stayed onboard. On Sundays leave was granted after compulsory
Church Parade at 1100.
Before
proceeding ashore all JRs were fallen in and meticulously inspected,
any sign of slovenliness would see you sent back to the blocks to
correct the problem. All bags were searched for civilian clothes or
'Tiddly Gear'.
Tiddly
Gear = pretty smart looking, but illegal items of service uniform,
made by civilian tailors.
All
leave expired at the gangway at 2359 (1 minute to Midnight), commonly
known worldwide as Cinderella Leave. Consequences for being adrift
being very severe.
'Now
a word from our Sponsors'
The
R.A.N. and JRs in Western Australia had a great 'Sponsorship Programme'.
The wonderful people of Western Australia opened their hearts and
their homes to JRs. A family could sponsor a JR or JRs for weekends
in their home.
Families
could volunteer and apply to become 'sponsors' of JRs and after being
checked out by Naval Welfare Authorities would then be allocated a
JR to 'adopt'.
This meant a JR could spend Saturday nights in the charge of his sponsor
thus not having to return onboad at midnight. Some families sponsored
generations of JRs over JRTE's 24 years of operation.
Many
lifelong friendships were formed, and many JRs fell hopelessly in
love with Western Australia. A lot even retired from the navy in latter
years and settled in the West. Long weekends such as Easter were a
bonus to JR's with sponsors.
Every week all the JR had to do was to get his sponsor to sign a 'chit'
stating that they agreed to sponsor him for the next period as shown
on the chit. I feel that had this scheme not been in existence many
JRs would have found it hard to cope with their 12 month stay in JRTE.
It provided respite from the rigours of the week and thrust many back
into a loving more gentle family environment which some boys missed
greatly. It added a touch of sanity to their otherwise insane existance
in JRTE.
Wearing
naval uniform at all times did also have its drawbacks when ashore
. For that during the 'unpopular' era of the Vietnam war we often
found ourselves on the receiving end of abuse from certain Anti-War
elements of the public. Being spat upon and accused as 'Baby Killers'
could and did have long lasting effects on how we viewed certain elements
of the civilian population.
