John Currin and his time in the Navy being written

Object 1 Object 2

I was born in Nelson and went through my schooling there and after leaving Nelson College became a farm boy milking cows and toiling long hours. I was not sure that this was the life for me and after meeting an old class mate he suggested I go on the coast sailing between Nelson and Wellington on

the Te Aroha. Built in 1909 and still operating on the Hokianga This sounded like a good idea to me and the pay was much more than milking cows. Spoke to my parents and my mother said that if I was going to sea then I must join the proper navy so it was off to an appointment with Naval recruiter and doing some tests. Seemed to pass the tests easily and so I was on my way. Met up with another school mate, Brian Nathan, who had also been accepted so we planned to go in together. We received some official notification and tickets to Auckland and so we flew over to Wellington on a DC3 and caught the express train to Auckland, an overnight trip behind an old smoking steam engine. Met Bob Blair on the train, he was on his way to join as well and had come up from Bluff. Arrived at Auckland Railway Station at about 7.30am and was met by some very grumpy grumpy men in Naval uniform who loaded us and our bags onto a bus and took us to Admiralty Steps to catch a boat to HMNZS Philomel. There was quite a crowd of us, maybe 200 or so. We boarded the Taihoa

and headed across to the unknown at the Naval base. It was not a quiet welcome, in fact very loud as were fallen in and marched to a dormitory and then to breakfast, my first meal in the navy. Later after a bit of a tidy up it was up the hill to the Navy hospital and a very thorough check-up on us all, back down the hill and to the slops store to be issued our kit, then it was time to be sworn in and swear allegiance to the Queen and others. Well, we had kit and hammocks and a full stomach and were on our way to catch an ML to HMNZS Tamaki. Seemed like a lot had happened in just one day, we were now in the Navy for 8 years and jumping when ever any one said jump. It was May 1959. While boarding the ML I could see the Auckland Harbour Bridge

Looking north over the construction site of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. One of the middle spans is being floated into place on a barge. Coordinates approximate, but reasonably exact, likely somewhere above Point Erin. Extended information on origin webpage reads: Aerial view of the Auckland Harbour bridge under construction, 29 November 1958. Photograph taken by Whites Aviation (Photo credit: Wikipedia) It was was nearing completion and a mighty structure after the small town experience of Nelson, Auckland looked huge. We were heading for Motuihe Island and HMNZS Tamaki, the Naval Training Establishment, an ex-prisoner of war and quarantine camp and now it was about to be our prison for 7 or 8 months or so.

Motuihe Island with the Navy Training Establishment, HMNZS Tamaki on the area nearest the camera

About an hour down the harbour and we had arrived at our new home and many more unfriendly, loud speaking sailors screaming at us to do this and that. I think milking cows was much more pleasant. So it was load all our kit onto a truck and to fall in at the end of the jetty and double along the road, past a lot of sailing boats and the a left wheel past the old mine and up the hill.

We would become very familiar with the hill later on. We ran past this old mine and up the hill. The Island was beautiful but the way of life was tougher than working on a farm. Our new home would be Nelson II, a large wooden building and inside some sets of drawers and rails up in the ceiling, some lockers around the interior walls for shoes etc. First was to learn how to sling a hammock and hang them from rails above, next was learning how to swing into the things and then trying to sleep in them, after a while we found them to be quite comfortable actually.

Nelson II was the second building from the end, quite close to Cemetery Point where the remains of those who had died there from The Great Influenza epidemic in the early 1900s After our first nights sleep in a hammock and in the Navy it was up early, go for a run and then back to shower and change for breakfast wearing some of our new kit, breakfast was not like Mum made but it was eaten rather than become hungry later. Our Class Instructor was PO Peter Thompson and ex RNer and his next chore for us was marking our complete kit with our names, we had been issued with the wooden letters of our names which was then added to an aluminium strip as a handle, and then dipped into red paint printed on our all our clothes and left to dry. As soon as it was dry we all found we had a housewife (a pack containing needles, buttons etc and red cotton) and so it was now learning how to use it. Every name that we had stamped had to be over sown in the red cotton, a laborious job, some were much neater than others and mine were average. A few days were spent learning how to look after our kit, washing, ironing and folding in a certain way and to be the size of our Seamanship manual. Boring stuff. At last we were going to do some training and it was off to the Parade ground and meeting some very officious Gunnery Instructors. We learned to march, to carry rifles and to carry a large shell around the Parade ground if we did not do it well. All good fun. Soon it was time for a parade and to demonstrate our new found

skills. The Parade Ground and Quarterdeck at HMNZS Tamaki An unsavory incident happened when my friend from Nelson, Brian Nathan had his watch stolen. The Navy had a way to find the culprit. Each lunchtime after dining on scrumptious navy fare we were fallen in outside the dormitory and doubled to the hill and then doubled up and down that damned hill until someone confessed to the crime, no one came forward so the next day it was down the hill and onto the soft sand of the beach and doubled up and down the beach in full kit and lashed up hammocks on our backs, still no one admits to this heinous crime. This happened for about a week and no one confesses so the matter is dropped. We did become very fit though. A highlight was being part of the Guard of Honour that marched over the Auckland Harbour Bridge during the opening ceremony. During our stay the Island opened up to visitors and a ferry would arrive on Saturdays and Sundays with visitors from Auckland and usually included girls coming to look for boys and so a few friendships were developed. After 6 weeks we were allowed to go ashore for some leave, a few hours on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday and being young fellas we learned how to play up a bit. We were inspected before leaving and on return and our bags searched for illegal items such as alcohol. After the search we doubled up that accursed hill to our dormitories, slung our hammocks and off to sleep soundly. Our initial training was for six months, with a couple of weeks holiday leave in the middle so everybody was looking forward to going back home and seeing family , we had to wear our uniform so we could show off a bit and stroll down the main street catching the eye of some of the damsels of

Nelson. Parents were very proud of us. During our stay on HMNZS Tamaki we were issued with a pound of tobacco each month, it cost eleven shillings and eight pence and was supposed to be good for us and would turn us into men. Not keen on the smoking I took mine home to my father who was most impressed with this gift which I had, in great fear smuggled out. A couple of weeks back home catching up with everyone and then back to The Rock, the nickname For Motuihe and HMNZS Tamaki.

John and Brian Nathan at Nelson Airport and about to fly back to Wellington and catch the train back to Auckland and for me back to The Rock. As the term ended and more leave followed it was onto more specialised training. Brian Nathan would not be going back to HMNZS Tamaki, he would go to HMNZS Philomel to start his training as a basic Signalman and I would go back to Tamaki to begin training as a Seaman. We learned more about bends and hitches, sailing and boat handling, more drills on the Parade Ground and eventually passed out from HMNZS Tamaki, sent on leave and Drafted to HMNZS Philomel to learn about becoming a Gunner in The RNZN. Joining HMNZS Philomel was another adventure and starting training at the Gunnery School and meeting those with the loudest and clearest voices in the world was a little terrifying. Chief GI John Barnes was there bellowing orders to all, lots of doubling up and down and learning lots of rifle drill. What was enjoyable was the week long trips to the Navy camp at Whangaparaoa, learning to fire small arms which included the old Sten guns, .303 rifles and .38 pistols and carrying out nighttime manoeuvres all dressed up in different accoutrements.

At Whangaparaoa with Dave Rasmussen, John Currin, Brian Lenane and Pete Hall

Eventually we passed out as Seaman Gunner Basics and were looking forward to joining our first ship and seeing the world. My first draft was to HMNZS Kaniere with Joe Quinn as Skipper and Smiley Shaw in charge of us trainees.

After learning how to take a ship to sea and to be a lookout on the cold open bridge and loading the 4 inch gun out in the Hauraki Gulf it was off on an Island cruise.

From memory we went to Suva and then onto Apia in Samoa,on to Nukualofa and north to Vavau then back to Fiji, visiting Levuka, Labasa, Lomo Lomo, Suva and Lautoka. Quite an adventure for us all. Kaniere was not airconditioned and it was very hot, slinging a hammock on the upper deck was common as well. Vavau sticks in my mind because we drank the only bar on the Island dry but also for the swimming in a large cave.

And Swallows Cave at Vavau Levuka was interesting, it was the old capital of Fiji but also had the mystery ship, theJoyita laying on its side in the harbour.

Main street of Levuka

And the remains of the Joyita Back in Auckland and HMNZS Kaniere was getting old and tired and so was retired and lay alongside the Training Jetty for some time being used for training purposes. So it was off to a new ship for us of the Training Division and this time a big ship with four turrets and twin guns and 5.25 inch shells, all quite different than HMNZS Kaniere. The cruiser HMNZS Royalist was in refit when we joined and we were issued with chipping hammers and told to start chipping paint and painting and painting.

Royalist was the pride of the fleet at that time and was upgrading extensively during the refit but I was not keen on her. After a weekend leave along with Dave Horgan and Bert McLean we went to get a taxi to go back on board and there were none so we decided that we would stay where we were. After some discussion it was decided we would go and get a job which in those days was not difficult. Off we went to Astleys Tanneries in New Lynn and all got a job and there we stayed for several months before getting picked up and being returned to HMNZS Philomel. Iwas sent over the hill, or to the Services Corrective Establishment at Ardmore and had a wonderful time cutting hay with scissors and other stupid work and spending Christmas in a small room. Back to HMNZS Philomel and I was summoned to the Regulating Office and told to pick up my kit and join the newly arrived HMNZS Otago. Walked up the brow and there to greet me was Tom King, the Coxswain and Ted Barnes, the Chief GI and both had been having a few tots together, so they decided to give me a bit of a tune up. They told me that skates (sailors who had been in trouble) were not welcome on their ship and kept me waiting for some time while I wondered what I should do. Eventually I was sent to the after mess and given a bunk, no more hammocks, and met a few others that I had known at HMNZS Tamaki and Philomel. And so started my new start in the navy an a new ship, very different to the HMNZS Royalist. It was February 1961.

HMNZS Otago No sooner aboard and it was off to Waitangi for the celebrations on February 6th and we were to be the guard of honour. There were many ships there from New Zealand Navy as well as Australian and Canadian navies as well. Up to here January August 61 N.Z.waters Auckland, Waitangi (with Aust & Canadian navies), main leave, cruise Napier, Wellington, Auckland and Whangarei areas exercise with RN submarines and Aust ships and RNZAF, Wellington (guard for opening of Parliament), Auckland (routine docking, trials and shakedown). 8 Aug Sep 61. To Brisbane major exercise Coral sea with (12 plus) RAN and RN ships and submarines..Tuckerbox and returned to Wellington (Naval staff to sea), then Auckland for leave and maintenance. 19 Oct 61 sailed with ROYALIST Sydney area..exercises with RAN ships and RN submarines and aircraft; Nov 61to Melbourne inspections, Melbourne Cup; exercises Jervis Bay; then Dec, and January 62: Aucklandexercises in Hauraki Gulf; 6 Feb 62 Waitangi ceremony i/c TARANAKI, LACHLAN, HMAS GASCOYNE.