Navy life through the eyes of a gamer working in an Electronic Technician role

It makes complete sense that a love of gaming and fishing would lead to an exciting career in the Australian Defence Force.

26 year old Leading Seaman Samuel, also known as Chook, is both an Electronics Technician in the Royal Australian Navy and an avid gamer who has turned his gaming passion into a career.

“I specialise in the maintenance and operation of the main armaments onboard a type of warship known as a Hobart Class Destroyer,” Chook shares. “The main weapons systems I work on are the 5-inch gun, torpedoes and countermeasure systems just to name a few.”

Although Chook is currently based on land, he spent the last four years posted to the ship HMAS Sydney, going to sea periodically. It’s a job that gave him the opportunity to travel and explore different parts of the world such as Canada, Guam and Hawaii.

“Once off the ship, the highlight for me was driving around the whole island of O’ahu in a Mustang convertible with my best mates,” Chook says. “We also went to the North Shore, saw Pipeline and then went on the hunt for the best shrimp truck in Hawaii.” Chook also commented that the opportunity to relax by the pool was bliss after being at sea.

But it’s not just the sights of the world Chook has encountered in his career. His work in the Navy has been truly impactful, with Chook recollecting a time in San Diego where there was “a weapons issue with very limited indicators as to what the problem was.”

Supplied: ADF Careers (personnel not pictured)

“After four long days working nonstop as a team, bouncing ideas off one another, we finally solved the issue. This work did not go unnoticed and our section was given a Commanding Officer’s Commendation.”

More recently, Chook was part of the Navy team that responded to a medical emergency off the coast of Western Australia.

“It was a very rewarding experience knowing that we potentially saved that person’s life by transferring them from their ship to Fremantle where they received medical treatment.”

A tight knit team is a recurring theme of Chook’s eight year-long Navy career.

An example that stood out for Chook was the weapons system trials — an activity they completed to verify that the ship’s personnel can safely operate and maintain their weapons.

“It was during peak COVID,” explains Chook. “We had extremely limited time to get ashore but we made do with what we had.”

He remembers his off-duty days — “DJ decks set up on the flight deck”, “listening to music and playing the odd game of Corn Hole to embrace some of the American culture we were missing.”

“It’s not so much the destinations, but the crew you have with you.”

For an avid gamer, life in the Navy has worked out to be pretty sweet. For Chook, “We are no different to anyone else — we are still human, all love to have a laugh and have fun with our friends and families. The only difference is that my office and home can take me around the world.”