who's who

Who makes the Young Endeavour all happen? It's quite a crew:

the board   ship staff  office staff

Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe OAM, RAN : Commanding Officer

Gavin has been the Commanding Officer of Young Endeavour since January 2008. He has been in the navy since 1976, when he joined as an Under Water Control Sailor. Having previously served on the ship as Staff Crew, he is very knowledgeable when it comes to the ship, and he is looking forward to his time in command. Gavin lives in Sydney with his wife Leanne and daughter Jess.

Lieutenant Paul McDowell : Executive Officer

Paul is Young Endeavour's Executive Officer and is multi-talented when it comes to the ship. He can Navigate, Watchlead and be a Watch Officer, just don't let him near the galley. He joined the Navy in 1999 and has spent this time as a Clearance Diving Officer. Paul lives in Sydney with his wife Leilani, and children Bailey, Marqus and Nelson. In his free time he enjoys taking camping weekends away with his family.

Lieutenant Jasmine Lauer-Smith : Navigator/ Watch Officer / Watchleader

Jazz joined the ship in January 2007 from a Sydney based Frigate. Originally from Adelaide, her interests include rockclimbing, ballroom dancing and most sports.

Lieutenant Trish Williams : Watch Officer / Training Officer / Watch Leader

Trish is the Training Officer on board, so she is the one that makes sure ship's staff are qualified in everything they need, and arranges for staff members to go on courses to learn new skills. On the ship she holds Navigational duties as Watch Officer and also as the Navigator. Trish grew up in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane. She has been in the Navy since 2003 and likes horseriding, getting outdoors and having salmon eggs benedict at local cafes for weekend breakfasts.

Chief Petty Officer Lindsey Smith : Chief Engineer/ Watchleader

Lindsey is in charge of all maintenance and general running of machinery and parts onboard. The infamous Rope Races are also conducted by the Engineer, and he also acts a "ship's mum" during voyages. Lindsey hails from Newcastle in NSW and is a keen participant in Hash House Harriers.

Petty Officer Sumo Smith : Second Engineer/ Watchleader

Sumo is the Second Engineer of the ship and also does Watchleading. His duties include turing diesel into noise, making water, and keeping the maintenance of the ship ticking over during voyages. His interests include eating very expensive wagu steak and driving around in his blue XY Falcon sedan.

Petty Officer Jay Pettifer : Boatswain / Watch Officer / Watch Leader

As the ship's Bosun, Jay is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the ship's rigging and sails. He also trains youth crew as a Watchleader and keeps navigational duties as a Watch Officer.

Leading Seaman Pete Wong : Shore Administrator/ Watchleader

Pete is in charge of opening the envelopes when he is not as sea. He doubles as a Watchleader and triples as the ships celebrity magician, the "Amazing Wongy". Pete enjoys computer games and going to the gym.

Leading Seaman Jarod Bailey : Chef / Watchleader

Jarod is the ships Chef, which means he is usually everyone's favourite! He is a fantastic cook so if you hear the smoke alarm and he's in the galley, don't worry, he can disguise burnt food very well. Jarod enjoys eating pizza with anchovies and bobsledding.

Leading Seaman Belinda Wyard : Second Boatswain / Watch Leader

Bel recently joined Young Endeavour after working for some time in Defence Force Recruiting in Canberra. She is the Second Boatswain, assisting in the upperdeck maintenence of the ship.

Able Seaman Jess Barr : Watchleader/ Communications

Jess joined the ship in September 2007 and has been in the navy for five years as a Communications and Information Systems sailor. When in the office, Jess holds the envelopes while Pete rips them open. Her favourite voyages are when they head south into the big weather! Jess's hobbies include photography, rock climbing and, of course, sailing.