Shore leave put to good use
Aussie navy men become handymen at PJ advocacy centre
PETALING JAYA: Special-needs advocacy centre United Voice received a pleasant surprise visit from the crew of Australian warship HMAS Darwin, who helped refurbish the centre’s two-storey premises at Section 17.
Ten officers and crewmen, led by Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Richardson, repainted the interior as rock music played in the background.
“We were here since 9.30am. We’re just lending a hand, putting some paint on the ceiling and walls, and doing some general maintenance on a couple of electrical items,” said Richardson.
“We’ll be spending a full day at United Voice until the job is done,” he added.
Downstairs, Able Seaman Alice Saunders said the visit has been a rewarding one.
“It’s great giving back to the community and it’s something that we are really interested in and want to be a part of,” said Saunders, who expressed her admiration for United Voice’s art gallery.
Elsewhere in the building, Leading Seaman Luke McKinnon and Able Seaman Callum Smith were helping to replace an exhaust fan.
“We like to be able to give back a little to the communities that we visit,” said Smith.
United Voice lead coordinator Yeong Moh Foong thanked the Australians for their help in lightening the centre’s burden.
“This is cool, it looks like they’re having a good time. We finally got the ceiling fixed and it’s also good for them to know what we do here,” said Yeong.
United Voice, registered in 2005, helps persons with learning disabilities to set up self-advocacy groups around the country, to help them learn to be more independent and develop vital skills.
HMAS Darwin, docked at Port Klang, is part of a naval task force headed by HMAS Adelaide, Australia’s newest amphibious war- fare vessel, to participate in the Indo-Pacific Endeavour exercises running until November.
This will also be HMAS Darwin’s last deployment because the frigate will be decommissioned in December.
“We have been so busy that we haven’t been able to think much about the pending decommissioning of this great ship.
“United Voice does such an important job in the local community, that the opportunity to be able to help the organisation just a little bit is very satisfying for all of us,” Richardson said.