Our People in NSW
Kempsey boys serving together on humanitarian mission - Mitchell White & Isaac Kingma
Two sons of Kempsey are working side by side in the Sumatra relief operation.
Kempsey locals Mitchell White, 23, and Isaac Kingma, 26, are both aboard HMAS KANIMBLA, and they are both responsible for keeping the ship’s Sea King helicopters in good working order.
While this is Mitchell’s first operational overseas deployment, Isaac is a little more seasoned. He’s already got Hawaii, New Caledonia, Guam and New Zealand stamps in his passport.
“We have both specilaised as avionics technicians which means we mainly work on the electrical components of the aircraft,” Isaac said.
“It’s great having another Kempsey local onboard as it gives us a chance to catch up on news from back home.”
HMAS KANIMBLA is one of the Navy’s two amphibious support ships. After the call for help from the Indonesian government, it set sail for Padang, packed with relief supplies and emergency teams of military medics and engineers.
As part of Operation Padang Assist HMAS Kanimbla had also embarked two Sea Kings, the Navy’s largest helicopters, an unusual occurrence but one which both sailors were excited to be part of.
“Having two aircraft onboard can be challenging but the team is up to it and it’s a great experience for us,” Isaac said.
Mitchell, a former member of the Kempsey Cannon Balls Rugby Union Club, said one of the best parts of his job was the team he worked with.
“They’re a great bunch of people,” he said. “Not only are we team-mates but also good mates. That makes all the difference.”
After completing their recruit courses at HMAS Cerberus south of Melbourne (Isaac in 2002 and Mitchell in 2006), both sailors underwent their 18-month trade training at RAAF Base Wagga.
They completed their apprenticeships aboard various fleet units before being posted to Kanimbla.
Kanimbla is one of two RAN amphibious transport ships and is based at Fleet Base East in Sydney.