One of the NOC’s signature events was held at the Royal Automobile Club in Sydney on 25 February 2022, close to the 1 March anniversary of the inaugural hoisting of the Australian White Ensign in RAN ships and establishments in 1967. The AWE dinner was first held in 2019 and provides a forum for guest speakers to commemorate events in which the RAN was a significant participant. The full mess dinner format was well managed by the RAC and provided a rare opportunity in current times to get dressed up.
On this occasion the Deputy Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Chris Smith, CSM RAN provided an excellent update on the state of the RAN to be followed by Rear Admiral Raydon Gates AO, CSM RAN Rtd to deliver the AWE Oration for 2022. On this, the 25th anniversary year of the event, Admiral Gates recounted the graphic experiences associated with the rescue of both Thierry Dubois and Tony Bullimore from their yachts in the Southern Ocean whilst he was in command of HMAS Adelaide. A great testament to the ADF and the RAN in action.
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