11 April 2025
“I think we are often in the right place at the right time.”
The ultimate understatement, illustrating the determined nature of the ‘humble hero’ of the Australian fleet, HMAS Choules. As spoken by its Commanding Officer, Commander Arron Convery.
“People on Choules, they just get the job done. They’re excited to do their job, which is helping people,” Commander Convery said.
It is not the fastest, prettiest or most heavily armed ship in the fleet, but it is arguably the bravest. No matter the circumstance or conditions, Choules can always be counted on in a crisis. A steadfast reputation for excellence that extends from Bastion Point to the Baltic Sea.
Commander Convery has served on board Choules for almost four years. He was Executive Officer of the venerable workhorse during the 2019/2020 bushfires, when it sailed straight into the firestorm.
“It was probably the most rewarding mission I’ve undertaken in the Navy,” Commander Convery said.
“We got off the wharf in 17 hours, which was a remarkable effort seeing we brought in people from all over Australia, and we sailed not knowing what we would face or what that mission might look like.”
That summer at Bastion Point in Victoria, Choules was able to evacuate more than 1300 people and 250 pets. To this day, street signs from Mallacoota still adorn the ships’ passages. The town forever enmeshed in the warship’s DNA.
“It was huge, it’s not something you can train for at that level, but we made it work, and I know the people of Mallacoota were very grateful, and we were honoured to help,” Commander Convery said.
'Finding out you have to drop everything and sail into a cyclone was pretty cool. OK, initially it was concerning, but then you realise we wouldn’t do it, if we couldn’t do it safely.'
Fast forward to Cyclone Alfred and Choules was in port in Brisbane celebrating a casual public open day. Yet when the call came, they scrambled and sailed full steam into uncertain conditions, answering the call to rescue Lithuanian solo rower Aurimas Mockus.
“We sailed within three hours, which was a good effort, and with the help of the P-8s, they honed us in, and we were able to rescue him. Again it was another sort of remarkable mission complete,” Commander Convery said.
The ship is resilient and versatile. It has been deployed off the Western Australia coast as the command vessel for ASWEX, Navy’s largest anti-submarine warfare exercise in more than a decade.
“It does not only have humanitarian aid and disaster relief response down to a fine art, but it is so much more; we’re proving that through its amphibious capability and as a command-and-control platform with the Australian Maritime Task Group,” Commander Convery said.
“We are building to be a comprehensive command element at sea. That is what we are working towards.”
Apart from being a mobile tactical operating vessel, the Bay-class Choules is also an amphibious landing ship, complete with an Australian Army complement on board.
Corporal Brett Northeast is a battlespace communications specialist who joined the ship’s company six months ago. From the turf to the surf, he was still relatively new to Navy, when he found himself facing extreme weather conditions most mariners never face in their lives.
“Finding out you have to drop everything and sail into a cyclone was pretty cool. OK, initially it was concerning, but then you realise we wouldn’t do it, if we couldn’t do it safely,” Corporal Northeast said.
'It was probably the most rewarding mission I’ve undertaken in the Navy.'
Corporal Northeast described a sense of pride serving on a ship with such a famous pedigree.
“Being able to sail into the cyclone and conduct the rescue operation that we did, I felt really good about that. It felt like we achieved something really positive for someone who really needed our help,” Corporal Northeast said.
Everyone on Choules agrees, the true secret to its success is the esprit de corps among ships’ company. Commander Convery has created a village atmosphere where newcomers are immediately welcome.
“It’s an easy win, and you always take an easy win. To be welcoming, to put on a smile and say hello. I think it’s just courtesy, and it is certainly how I was brought up,” he said.
Being a part of Choules’ command team for almost a third of its service in Navy, Commander Convery will soon complete his final voyage as Commanding Officer.
“I will be sad to leave the ship, but I am very realistic that Choules’ journey and greatness will continue with the next Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Hardman, when he gets here. He is a fantastic guy, but I will be sad, it’s a chapter of my life that will close,” he said.
“Pride, passion, professionalism. I have exhibited all of those and so has everyone who has worked for me. I hope that continues.”
