Commodore Matthew Royals said it's the people and the challenges that have kept him motivated throughout his 33-year career with the Royal Australian Navy.
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The Nowra local said his passion for the navy and aviation started when he and his family moved to the South Coast in the mid 1980s.
"We moved down here when I was a teenager and I went to school at Shoalhaven High School," he said.
"I was exposed to the navy for the first time when I moved to the area and saw the helicopters flying over the school.
"It encouraged me to want to do that. I thought it sounded like a pretty interesting career."
While still at school, Cdre Royals went out to HMAS Albatross and decided he wanted to fly helicopters with the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm.
After finishing school in 1990, he joined the navy through the Australian Defence Force Academy.
At the time of his graduation in 1992, the navy was in need of Maritime Warfare Officers to operate warships.
"So I put my aviation career on hold for a few years and I learned to drive ships, which I did for a few years," he said.
Cdre Royals was then accepted into the Aviation Warfare Officers Course, starting him on his journey to becoming a co-pilot in a Seahawk helicopter.
"I spent four years in the UK and was deployed to places all over the world," he said.
"I met my wife in the UK before returning to Australia where I was posted in Sail as an instructor."
He then held various training positions in the navy before being promoted to Captain and was posted to Canberra at the Royal Australian Navy Headquarters.
Three years ago Cdre Royals returned home to Nowra after he was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Fleet Air Arm.
He has now taken on the role of Commander of the Fleet Air Arm.
"Usually the Commander of the Fleet Air Arm would be posted in from somewhere else, but I've had the luxury of being able to step up to the role," he said.
"I feel very privileged to have been chosen and I'm honoured to serve in this role."
As Commander, Cdre Royals' role is to deliver naval aviation combat power to the Royal Australian Navy Fleet.
"That means we have to have all of our aircraft and our people ready to go to sea on our warships and deploy throughout the region," he said.
The Fleet Air Arm consists of roughly 1500 people including aircrew, aviation technicians, aviation support personnel and six squadrons.
Cdre Royals said after 33 years with the navy, he still enjoys the challenges he has to overcome.
"I always told myself that I'll stick with this job until I don't enjoy it anymore and 34 years later I'm still here. I suppose that goes to show how much I've enjoyed my career."
One of Cdre Royals' three sons has also recently joined the navy as a technician.
"I like to think that the navy is a high-functioning team," Cdre Royals said.
"It's the amazing people that I get to work with and it's really an honour to be part of the team, that's really what keeps me motivated."
