Pair become first married couple to complete Navy training together
No public displays of affection, physical contact or fraternising.
Those were the instructions last year to the first married couple to complete Basic Common Training together with the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).
Natalie Williams and Orson Paine, originally from Adelaide, graduated from the RNZN’s 15-week Basic Common Training course in December. They are musicians in the RNZN band, whose members all complete the same training as other RNZN trades.
Ordinary Musician Williams, 25, said the Recruit Training School outlined the expectations for all 92 trainees on the course.
“But he also did highlight that it was acceptable for us to sit next to or across from each other during classes and meals, if we had them at the same time,” she said.
For the first six weeks, they had very little time together, she said.
“We were allowed to talk to one another as colleagues in communal spaces such as the boot-locker, and we could submit letters to our instructors to pass on to our spouse when they handed out mail to the recruits.”
Ordinary Musician Paine, 26, said the key point was being professional. They were serving as an example to other potential couples that might follow in their footsteps.
With six other musicians on the course, the “bandies” were allowed a few minutes a day in the boot locker after lunch to check on each other.
“Orson and I were able to talk briefly with the rest of the team during these times,” Ordinary Musician Williams said. “It was those moments of contact, along with the Sunday Church, that kept me going during Phase 1.”
Fitness was another learning experience. Ordinary Musician Paine lost 10 kilograms, and Ordinary Musician Williams said it was her biggest challenge.
“I realised I was a lot more anxious than I had been and it had an impact on how I saw the rest of the training and changed my goals, from just doing my best to learning how to survive under different circumstances,” she said.
Things got easier once leave was allowed, says Ordinary Musician Paine said.
“It became a good deal easier to talk through our individual challenges. By that point we’d earnt some trust from the instructors as well, and they moved us around to be in the same duty watch so our leave times were all the same, which was great.”
The pair met while completing Bachelor of Music degrees from the Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide and both have gained further post-graduate qualifications.
Ordinary Musician Paine plays the trumpet and was principal trumpet with the Australian Youth Orchestra and with the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute. Ordinary Musician Williams, who plays the French horn, was in the Adelaide Wind Orchestra, Co-Opera South Australia, and has worked as a freelance performer, music teacher and director.
Life with the Navy appealed to them for many reasons, including steady and secure employment in the same place, the variety of music performances and travel.
They chose the RNZN over the Royal Australian Navy because both had fallen in love with New Zealand and the idea of moving to a beautiful new country with new opportunities was very exciting.
“The RNZN Band was particularly welcoming, with genuine, friendly personnel, a progressive and positive attitude towards music and modern-day musicians,” Ordinary Musician Williams said.
The pair, who are stationed at Devonport Naval Base, said the training would have a lasting impact on their lives as a couple.
“Efficiency in communication has certainly improved,” Ordinary Musician Paine said. “We can say and understand a lot more with fewer words, which I find interesting.”
