From Stratford to New Caledonia as well as Hawaii, Able Writer (AWTR) Mel Connell of the Royal New Zealand Navy has been travelling the world.
At just 20 years of age, the Stratford woman has been participating in Exercise Croix du Sud, a multi-national humanitarian aid and disaster relief exercise in New Caledonia.
While AWTR Connell was in charge of administration onboard HMNZS Canterbury, she was also occupied with hauling lines on the flight deck, responding to fire drills and guiding soldiers around the ship.
"When I wake up, I look forward to what the day will bring, it's never the same. I'm gaining a lot of life skills and meeting people from all over the world," she says.
AWTR Connell has also recently spent six weeks in Hawaii, participating in Exercise RIMPAC, the world's largest maritime military exercise. She was the first female to cross the finish line during the 5km running race against participating military forces. She has now set herself a personal goal to beat her winning time of 17 minutes and 15 seconds, as well as competing in the upcoming Auckland marathon.
