Naval Reserve member stays the course on the high seas – Stuff.co.nz

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Able Seaman Barry Dulieu preparing to board a rigid-hull inflatable boat during the Navy Reservist exercise in Auckland, outside the Devonport Naval Base.

When he was six, Barry Dulieu travelled on the interisland ferry Tamahine got the chance to steer the ship.

A seed was planted that set him on a maritime course for the rest of his life.

Now 68, the long-time Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve member has patrolled New Zealand waters and taken part in international naval exercises, where he played roles from storming a ship to being an antagonistic evacuee.

The Able Seaman was recently in Auckland for an exercise which provided reservists an opportunity to understand how their role supports the Navys operations.

Dulieu enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1972 and then again in 2005.

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I joined the Naval Reserve because of my love of the sea, ships and the general marine environment. It also felt good to be able to serve my country, he says.

A carpentry tutor at WelTec before retirement, he and his wife Dianne moved to Picton four years ago, where he is a member of the Marlborough Coast Guard.

The move changed his long-term involvement with Wellington Naval Reserve Division HMNZS Olphert and he now collates reports on merchant shipping movements for two regional ports.

He lists among the highlights of his naval career the six months he spent in 2013 on inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Taupo carrying out a variety of tasks along New Zealands coast.

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Able Seaman Barry Dulieu joined the Naval Reserve because of his love of the sea, ships and general marine environment.

In 2017 he joined the Navy team on Exercise Southern Katipo - a combined Defence Force exercise with all three services and international participants covering the West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough regions.

A small team of us were given role playing tasks to test the systems and personnel of the exercise. My role varied from being an antagonistic evacuee causing trouble, to storming a ship and trying to disrupt things.

In 2020 he was back at sea on the offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington for two weeks while the Navy assisted the Ministry for Primary Industries investigating fishing vessels.

I have always been involved with some sort of training throughout the years. Courses like general seamanship, sea survival training, weapons training, the rigid-hulled inflatable boat coxswains course, law of armed conflict and other small courses have all helped shape my role as a Reservist, Dulieu said.

My wife Dianne is extremely supportive of my work and I always had very good employers who have supported and encouraged me to fulfil my efforts in military training, he says.

Assistant Chief of Navy (Reserves) Captain Phillip O'Connell says naval reservists provide a valued, flexible workforce of skilled professionals, supporting the Navy from the front line at sea and ashore to senior management.

Some are people who have signed up for part-time service as an adjunct to their civilian careers. Others are ex-Regular Force personnel who have transitioned to civilian careers or are taking time out from fulltime service for reasons such as whanau needs and further education.

If you are interested in serving while maintaining your civilian career, or thinking of leaving the NZDF to start a civilian career and wanting to maintain your service links, the Navy wants to hear from you.

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Naval Reserve member stays the course on the high seas - Stuff.co.nz