WHEN Sub Lieutenant Nicholas Guireff applied to join the navy little did he know he would be following in footsteps of one of his descendants from a century ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
SBLT Guireff is part of the current officer training course at HMAS Creswell, which this month celebrated its 100th birthday.
SBLT Guireff’s great great uncle, John Abbott, was in the first officer entry class at Creswell in 1915.
Midshipman Abbott was just 13 years old when he started his studies at the college.
That class was joined by the two existing classes, the 1913 and 1914 entry, which had been studying at the temporary facilities in Geelong while the college was being built.
The rare occurrence was recently marked at the college with commanding officer Captain Stephen Hussey presenting SBLT Guireff with a signed photograph of the 1915 entry cadet midshipmen, featuring his great great uncle, on the very spot the photo was taken 100 years ago.
“I only recently found out my great great uncle was a 1915 cadet after I had applied to join the navy,” he said.
SBLT Guireff will be training at the college for the next six months.
As part of the college’s centenary celebrations, the navy is trying to locate descendants of the three classes that started at Jervis Bay in February 1915.
Those descendants will be invited to celebrations in June coinciding with the graduation of the current class.
Anyone who thinks they might be a descendent can find information on the Navy Daily Web site and search for article ‘100 years college seeks descendants’ or email david.jones10@
defence.gov.au.
