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There is a tradition in the Royal Navy that when possible members of the Ship’s
Company will form a work party to complete a project for a charity in order to
offer a helping hand. When HMS ENDURANCE found herself in Dry Dock in Puerto
Belgrano and unable to gain access to the ship because of a national industrial
dispute, many of the crew were living in hotels in Bahia Blanca and the
Chaplain, Steve Parselle, sought out a charity whose premises required some
serious redecoration to their exterior.
Working party, residents and sisters
The Charity was a home for physically and mentally disabled males between the
ages of 6 and 88 run by only four nuns who rely upon donations and assistance
from groups of volunteers. Steve visited the nuns and quickly saw what needed
to be achieved. WO2 “Slinger” Woods was keen to be involved in the project and
so was called in to assess how much paint etc would be required which the ship
purchased along with all necessary tools.
Capt Nick Lambert and WO2 Richard Shingleton – Smith mixing paint
A team of 12 volunteers soon set about the task of redecoration making light
work of changing the outside of the residents home from unpainted cemented
wall, or pealing dirty white into a light yellow, the colour chosen by the
sisters. Some of the crew managed to discover the delights of body painting as
they ended up with more paint on their bodies than they managed to put on the
walls, whilst others left more paint on the floor.
Front to Back - (DEEPS) Leading Diver Ellis and Lt Cdr Gary Hesling (XO)
Lt Russ Abbot
We left the home having got to know some of the residents and with their home
looking in a much better state then when we found it. We also left with a sense
of amazement at the wonderful work done by the four sisters, who were provided
love, security and home for the boys who would had been abandoned by their
parents and the elderly men who were left with no family to take care of them.
We all realised how our own difficulties faded into insignificance in
comparison to those we met. A job well done in true Royal Naval tradition.
Cleaning the brushes
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