Rostrevor Magazine 2020-2021

Page 26 / Rostrevor Magazine 2020 - 2021 Zac Bakker (’15) always dreamed of becoming a Navy Clearance Diver and the two-week work experience placement at Edinburgh RAAF base while in Year 10, confirmed that goal. A er graduating from Rostrevor, he was accepted into the Navy and, by 2017, began his training as a Navy Clearance diver in Sydney on board HMAS Penguin. The course is renowned as the toughest and hardest to complete in the Royal Australian Navy, both mentally and physically. Out of the 35 men who began training, only 14 completed it. Zac graduated in October with the highest honours and was awarded Dux of course BCD88. He is now based in Sydney at HMAS Waterhen and is assigned to HMAS Gascoyne. “The opportunities that Rostrevor College provided to me throughout my schooling assisted me in achieving my dream goal,” he told the Red and Black. “My current job role encompasses an ever changing environment that always keeps me on the edge of my toes. My career as a Clearance Diver has only just begun, yet the possibilities are seemingly endless.” Zac’s mother Cathy said she and husband Fred were ecstatic when the SA/NSW border was re-opened with the li ing of COVID restrictions in October and they were able to fly to Sydney and be there in person to witness Zac graduate. “We are extremely proud of what Zac has achieved,” Cathy said. As part of Zac’s employment he will perform a wide range of tasks in support of Defence Force missions. Clearance Divers (CD) are full- time specialist divers, who undertake diving, demolitions, explosive ordnance disposal and improvised explosive device disposal. The primary focus of the CD is to perform Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The CD is capable of locating and destroying or recovering underwater ordnance and improvised explosive device disposal. This role is conducted at sea in ships, in the oceans (particularly the vulnerable approaches to ports and anchorages), and onshore in port facilities, installations and the shorelines around amphibious operations. Zac Dives into Navy Career with Top Honours Zac Bakker