Our People in NSW
Luke Menz - From Wagga to New York
New York may be a long way from home but Wagga man Able Seaman Luke Menz found plenty of similarities during his recent visit to the Big Apple.
“Coming from a small country town I was unsure as to how overwhelming a city the size of New York might be, but then I discovered that there were plenty of small communities within the city, each with their own culture and the people were just as friendly as if you were in a small town back home,” said AB Menz.
But Luke certainly wasn’t on holiday. He’s part of a Navy round the world deployment by frigates HMAS Sydney and Ballarat and it will be another few months before he is back home.
AB Menz played an important role during the visit to New York. He has specialised as a cook, and he was responsible for catering for the official reception hosted onboard HMAS Sydney on the first night in port.
“It was fantastic to cook for so many people and to put our own spin on some Australian cuisine. We set up a BBQ on Sydney’s flight deck and made sure that there was plenty of ‘shrimp’ for everyone to try,” he said.
“When I finally got time off, I visited Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park and Little Italy – where I had the biggest pizza I have ever eaten! Central Park was as large as some of the farms back home, so I only got to see a small part of it. It is certainly a place of constant activity and obviously a place for people who live in apartment buildings who don’t have gardens like we do in Australia.
“I also bought plenty of souvenirs for my family and my girlfriend Denna, although she has already visited New York five times. There wasn’t much that I could buy that she doesn’t already have,” he said.
“The visit was definitely not long enough and I can’t wait to go back and experience everything that I missed on this trip. There is just so much to see and do - and eat!” said AB Menz.