TAKING a Royal Australian Navy ceremony to an inland community such as Dubbo is not such a strange idea to Commander Glyn Hunter.
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After all, he's an Albury-Wodonga boy who has ended up as the commanding officer of the HMAS Harman navy base.
"I didn't really know what I wanted to do: whether I wanted to go to university or do a trade," he said.
"So I thought I'd just do some time in the navy.
"I figured, worst-case scenario, I'd be on the coast and I could surf if I didn't like my job.
"But I thoroughly fell in love with being in the navy and serving my country and, 25 years later, I'm still there.
"And I don't have a back-up job because I just love my job so much."
Fourteen sailors and officers from HMAS Harman found on their tour of Cowra, Parkes, Dubbo, Bathurst and Orange.
From February 26 to March 1, the group visited high schools and held sunset ceremonies, lowering the ensign, before heading to local RSLs to meet with veterans and residents.
Commander Hunter and a number of members of the HMAS Harman's ship company were in Dubbo to perform what is known as a "ceremonial sunset", involving the beat to quarters, lowering of the Ensign and the firing of a volley of (blank) shots.
The visit was part of a wider regional tour, which also took in Cowra, Parkes, Orange and Bathurst
"I was invited by the Admiralty to think of a way to celebrate Navy Week," Commander Hunter said.
"And I thought it would be prudent to head out into rural areas that don't get to see navy very often and just engage on why it's important for everyone to understand the importance of a navy - being a three-ocean, island-trading nation with the majority of commerce arriving by maritime trade and a large amount of our communications going via underwater submarine cables."
Many students, he said, have not "actually seen a war ship or a submarine or a navy helicopter, other than on television".
"We've done some school visits and all the kids have been really enthusiastic and have asked a lot of questions, just about what it's like to be in the navy," he said.
"And the team have a broad range of experience and they have been able to tell some of their stories and their highlights from their careers in the navy.
"We've been able to go to Cowra, Parkes, Dubbo ... It's been well-supported by the people who have turned out to see us."
Commander Hunter said it was "not necessarily a recruiting drive", but the idea was to "put in the forefront of people's minds that the navy exists and has an important role".
"And it's an exciting time to be in the navy on our nuclear submarine pathway.
"We're expanding our navy to 26 ships and there's a lot of opportunity for STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] and for the next generation.
"In my 25-year career, this is probably the most exciting time to be in the navy and over the next decade, it's going to be a really amazing place."
