Our People in NSW
Jonathan Beveridge - Jonathon's round the world adventure
Armidale local Jonathan Beveridge will soon return home from a 25,000 km round the world voyage on board HMAS Sydney.
“The trip was amazing and an experience that I will never forget. How many people get to go around the world on a warship?” Jonathon said.
Jonathon is an Able Seaman Boatswain’s Mate in the Royal Australian Navy. He looks after corrosion control, weaponry as well as the appearance of the ship.
HMAS Sydney, together with HMAS Ballarat left Australia in April on Northern Trident 09 – a deployment aimed at supporting Government of Australia priorities such as diplomacy, international security and defence industry interests in selected Western European, Northern American and Asian countries.
The deployment has had plenty of highlights, from rescuing a merchant vessel under attack from pirates, visiting ports in India, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada as well as the United States where the ship sailed past the Statue of Liberty before berthing in New York for a four day official visit.
Jonathan also got to visit Egypt and sail through the Panama Canal – something not many people ever get to do.
“I joined the Navy in 2007 hoping to see the world and this trip has certainly helped achieve that goal. Being part of this deployment really opened my eyes to many different cultures and made me really appreciate how great Australia is. The main highlights for me were visiting New York as well as taking in all the history of Egypt
“The experiences that I had during the time I was away will definitely not be forgotten in a hurry, that’s for sure. I bought plenty of souvenirs for my family including an anchor clock for my Dad Michael who used to be Petty Officer in the Navy. Because of Dad’s experience my family are really supportive and don’t mind me being away.
“For now though, I am really looking forward to getting home to Armidale and having a home cooked meal. My Mum, Jennifer makes the best spinach cannelloni!”