HMAS Creswell will get a new commanding officer in 2019, with Captain Charles Huxtable set to depart Jervis Bay.
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For the past two years Captain Huxtable has been in charge of the RAN Naval College, which trains the next generation of navy officers.
He will be spend the next 12 months at the centre for Defence and Strategic Studies in Canberra.
The year long post-graduate level educational program has a strong practitioner focus, providing senior military and civilian officials with the knowledge, awareness and skills to operate at the highest levels of leadership, command, policy formulation and management.
He admitted it would be a “culture shock” facing a sometimes fierce Canberra winter instead of looking over “beautiful Jervis Bay”.
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“I’ll miss it [the view over the Bay],” he said.
“It is pretty spectacular.”
It’s been fantastic to work with some of the future of the Royal Australian Navy. And by the quality of the people coming through Creswell the future of the navy is certainly in good hands.
- Captain Charles Huxtable
He said it would be different “going from being the supposed top dog of an operation to being a student again”.
“But it is something I’m looking forward to,” he said.
“My time at Creswell has been special. It’s a wonderful place and a fantastic facility to be in charge of.”
Having worked at a number of bases including in Canberra, Perth, Darwin and India he admitted “beautiful” Jervis Bay was best place he had worked.
When I attended the college in 1991 I was college captain it's a bit surreal to then return as the captain of the college.
- Captain Charles Huxtable
“Before I came back, I had forgotten how nice it is down here at Jervis Bay,” he said.
“It really is nice to look out your window and see the beautiful blue of the Bay with navy ships anchored
“It’s certainly a special place.
“It’s been fantastic to work with some of the future of the Royal Australian Navy.
“And by the quality of the people coming through Creswell the future of the navy is certainly in good hands.”
He laughed how when he attended the college in 1991 he had been the college captain and had returned as the captain of the college.
“I never dreamed something like this would happen when I went through doing my training,” he said.
He will be replaced by Commander Mine Warfare, Clearance Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological and Patrol Boat Force, Captain Warren Bairstow
Captain Huxtable will officially leave HMAS Creswell on January 18 and will take up his new challenge on January 21.
Robert Crawford
Robert Crawford is a senior journalist at the South Coast Register, for Australian Community Media . Everyone's got a story, what's yours? Email robert.crawford@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Robert Crawford is a senior journalist at the South Coast Register, for Australian Community Media . Everyone's got a story, what's yours? Email robert.crawford@austcommunitymedia.com.au
