By CASEY NEILL
SUB-LIEUTENANT Matthew Hine has gone from navy cadet to commanding officer.
The Hampton Park 26-year-old is encouraging kids from Casey and Greater Dandenong to follow in his footsteps.
Sub-Lt Hine is the Commanding Officer (CO) for the Training Ship (TS) Bataan Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) unit, based at the Monash Barracks in Dandenong.
“We moved here last year in October,” he said.
“We wanted to focus on the kids that were here first, so it was a solid group before we moved on.
“We’re at a stage where we’re ready to recruit again.
“Army cadets recruit heavily in Greater Dandenong, so we’re hoping to focus on Casey.”
“We’ve got kids from as far away as Pakenham. I’ve got another girl from Mordialloc way.”
Sub-Lt Hine said cadets learnt rope work, defence force ranks, leadership and unit structure.
“When we go on camp, we’ve done dragon boating, we’ve done sailing,” he said.
“Power boats is something we focus on, and we’re very lucky that we get pretty good access to HMAS Cerberus for camps.”
He started his 12 years with the ANC as a Hampton Park Secondary College student.
“I was the training officer for a while and then my CO retired last year and I took over,” he said.
“I’ve hit it young.
“We opened it up to tender, and other staff in the ANC applied for it.
“They’re older than me and much more experienced in other ways, but I’ve owned businesses and my management and leadership was what this unit needed to get it into a community stage.”
TS Bataan had been at the school for 15 years and received government funding.
“Now we’ve got to fund ourselves and seek out our own connections,” he said.
Sub-Lt Hine has about 20 cadets, who march under a new banner provided by the National Servicemen’s Association of Australia’s (NSAA) south-east sub-branch.
“The banner gives us the ability to parade and be identified as TS Bataan not just navy cadets, or sometimes the public perceive us as Navy recruits,” he said.
He said many cadets had social engagement difficulties.
“Not everyone in this community wants to do sport, but they want to have an extra-curricular activity that’s engaging and exciting,” he said.
“More than anything, they get a lot of friendship out of here.”
Sub-Lt Hine would love to see them go into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
“But at the end of the day, it’s youth development, so that they are better prepared for their careers,” he said.
“We give them those skills to go out and be socially engaging and active.”
Cadets can enrol from the year they turn 13 and are discharged at age 20.
Visit www.navycadets.gov.au or call Sub-Lt Hine on 0401 809 315 for more information.
