St Patrick's College export Angus Phasey serving on HMAS Ballarat II

Phasey proudly laughs this off.

He had been set to join HMAS Anzac but, after the birth of his daughter about 18 months ago, Phasey asked for a little more time working closer to his young family. HMAS Ballarat proved the perfect fit.

A working trip home to Ballarat this week has made Phasey that little bit prouder.

The St Patrick's College 2016 graduate had been running a small restaurant in Blackwood, then working in Ballarat's foodie hotspot Moon and Mountain when he decided to follow in the family tradition and join the Australian Defence Force.

Phasey said the strong rivalry between army, air force and navy was real. His father served for 25 years in the army and Phasey's two brothers also became officers in the army - his eldest brother is in his 15^th year of service.

When Phasey enlisted in the army in 2020, he was told he could join in 2021. Only, he did not want to wait that long and instead took the first position available, a spot in the navy based out of Western Australia.

"Everyone takes the rivalry seriously but the navy is the oldest defence force in Australia and takes a lot of pride in that and it takes a lot of pride in the uniform," Phasey said.

"I never thought I'd be in the navy - there's no ocean near here [Lake Wendouree]. It brings you back though to my heyday for Lap of the Lake and Boat Race.

"I have a lot of school friends who have grown up here, long lost friends who I love catching up with, but I'm also very grateful what the navy has given me."

Phasey is a maritime logistics support operations steward. His background in hospitality has him predominantly working in hospitality service to officers and senior services.

A chance to come home with HMAS Ballarat II is rare.

A selection of crew members, including commanding officer Ben Dalton, have been doing community outreach for Australian Defence Forces' careers team and meeting with Ballarat dignitaries, including members of the Returned and Services League Ballarat sub-branch.

The visit also features time with the ship's twin cadet units in Bendigo and Cerberus at Crib Point on the Mornington Peninsula.

Phasey has enjoyed the chance to stay in town with his parents and to catch up with friends.

This is a stark contrast to Phasey's first working trip home to Victoria as an HMAS Ballarat crew member.

Three weeks after joining the crew, Australian states started going into COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Phasey was still "living the life" in Western Australia but his recruiting school coursework was fast-tracked. First aid and pathology training was "pushed along" and he was able to keep up his TAFE work when civilians could no longer go to school.

Months later, "still so fresh" in the navy, Phasey found himself part of the nationwide COVID-19 response, working in testing centres in Melbourne.

Phasey said it was nice to be home in Ballarat with a different community outreach pace, and the chance to see loved ones.

He is not the first Ballaratian to serve on HMAS Ballarat II. Daniel Hooper, an electronic technician, and Felicity Coe, who was in charge of the officers' stewards, were among he ship's commissioning crew and were aboard the ship's memorable sail out of the Williamstown docks - only just clearing the Bolte Bridge amid choppy waters - and on to Sydney in June 2004.

Both unveiled the HMAS Ballarat display at the Ballarat RSL for Anzac Day in 2022.

RELATED COVERAGE:

HMAS Ballarat II is one of eight Anzac frigates and carries battle honours in the Middle East from 2003 to 2014. Her inherited battle honours from HMAS Ballarat I include the Pacific 1941-45, New Guinea 1942 to 44 and Okinawa 1945.

HMAS Ballarat I was commissioned in the Williamstown naval dock in April 1941 and naval corvette can lay claim to rescuing a future Australian Prime Minister John Gorton in 1942.

Then-Pilot Officer Gorton was being evacuated to Jakarta but sustained significant injuries when the ammunition ship he was on was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.

The lesser known HMAT Ballarat, Her Majesty's Australian Transport ship, was torpedoed on Anzac Day 1917 in the English Channel. She was carrying 1752 soldiers from Melbourne to England and even though efforts failed to tow her to shallow waters failed, no lives were lost.

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