By Matthew Sims
From working at McDonald’s to working on the Royal Australian Navy’s premier training establishment HMAS Cerberus, former Pakenham resident Shane Dunham’s life transformed 14 years ago thanks to a suggestion from his mum to join the Navy.
The 36-year-old Returned and Services League (RSL) sub-branch member would be one of the current servicemen joining returned servicemen and veterans paying tribute to those who have served as part of Anzac Day services across the country.
Originally hailing from Tasmania and currently based in Hastings with his partner Nicole, daughter Amelia and two sons Henry and Thomas, Mr Dunham has worked as a marine technician on a number of Navy vessels since joining the Navy in 2010, including HMAS Success from 2011 to 2013, HMAS Darwin from 2015 to 2016 and HMAS Newcastle from 2016 to 2019 before settling at HMAS Cerberus from 2019 to the present.
Beginning as a recruit and climbing the ranks to his current rank as leading seaman, his work has taken him from ports across Australia, including Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Albany and Hobart, with overseas ports including Jakarta, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Bahrain and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Mr Dunham said his mum originally told him about the role.
“I liked the sound of the marine technician role,“ he said.
“I didn’t really have any expectations.
“It was a very steep learning curve.“
Mr Dunham said his training covered a number of elements, including learning how to shoot, how to tie knots and first aid, as well as physical training.
“The first week took a while to process,“ he said.
Mr Dunham said the instant camaraderie that his class created helped the process run smoothly.
“They all got pretty close,“ he said.
Mr Dunham said another learning curve was getting used to the high level of discipline, including repetitive orders and loud voices.
“It’s a different sort of tough training,“ he said.
“It all comes back to trust.
“It’s a matter of training instant obedience.“
Mr Dunham said he loved working out on the sea and visiting new places across the globe.
“I’ll never get tired of seeing dolphins,“ he said.
“It was difficult leaving family and friends behind.
“It’s probably made me a lot more resilient to things.“
Mr Dunham said his role had now come full-circle, recently taking on a role in instructing marine technician apprentices.
“It’s felt like it’s gone in a blink of an eye,“ he said.
Mr Dunham said working in the Navy had taught him a lot about the value of discipline.
“I’m proud to have done as much time as I’ve done and helped support the Navy in Australia and Australia’s global image,“ he said.
“I’d love to encourage people to get involved with their local RSLs.
“If you want to travel the world and get paid to do so, the Navy might just be your calling.“
Pakenham RSL past president and Vietnam veteran Gary Elliott said the sub-branch was keen to welcome younger servicemen and ex-servicemen.
“Our ideas and our concepts are changing,“ he said.
Pakenham RSL is hosting its Anzac Day dawn service from 5.45am at the Pakenham War Memorial followed by breakfast in the Pakenham Hall at the conclusion of the service.
