I met this chef the other day on the HELIX.
He's been a chef for 25 years do the maths I think he started when he was about 18. Many moons ago he had the horrible decision to make Navy Chef or stay at Byron Bay to work at an Ale Carte restraunt? He decided to stay at Byron. He has been working on the Helix a big petrol carrying ship that is based in Geelong, Vic for 6 years and he likes it. 7 weeks on 7 weeks off. He had to do the Civillian equivelant of the pre sea courses that I did in the Navy. He probably makes about $80 000 per year. He is in a union (like any ship job person would). He has a cabin to himself. He has the kitchen to himself. The ship he is on is 7 years old. He doesn't have to travel far to the refridgerators or the freezers. He only has to feed 17 hungry workers and he can cook what ever he dam well likes. Sounds like a cushy job to me. Sign me to the next courses. He's based out of Melbourne.(fantastic shopping I hear). The steward he works for use to be in the Puss.

It sounds like a good job but in reality when they are at sea its 24/7 for 3 weeks and the big money is ok but you really have to put in to get it its a lot better than pussers and ok for singlies but not much chop for marriedys. I know alot of ex pussers cooks that went into the merchant navy Peter Morgan And Smiley Perrot come readily to mind and no doubt there are many more .You can get the big bucks in civvy street thats for sure but its not handed to you on a silver platter. If someone is going to give you 80 grand a year then be prepared to work for it. I worked on mining camps and i was on 75 grand a year but 12 hour shifts for 3 weeks then a week off then back into it so when i hear cooks are getting this kind of dough i know how hard they work to get it.If you like the comforts of home the the merchant navy or oil rigs or mining camps out the middle of nowhere. To each there own I enjoyed my time working away at Moomba And on the rigs in the channel country. But i did get tired at the end of my swing any way Erica dont believe all you hear most cookie monsters dont really tell it how it is Regards quinny

cheers for the reply
My cousin has 3 kids and a wife he's a 3rd mate on the ship.The chef was single. I think. You wouldn't do it forever because you would loose you skill in other areas and if you like working with other cooks you might get lonely unless your working on a ship with a big crew. All ships are different and my cousin was telling me that there were only a few women working for Shell. I'd have to do more research in that department. Same with mines. You can only do so much bulk cooking and cost cutting before you would quit and do something different. I have the opinion that you go there make a bit of money, have some fun then you leave. Just another tick in the box and another job on your resume. Lifes too short aswell.

Whats a resume im so good i dont need one of them everyone knows how good i am Just jokin. A lot of resumes only tell you the good and iv'e employed plenty of cooks with glowing recommendations that have turned out bloody useless. I didnt think they had any women in the galleys of merchant ships things might have changed if you or any one out there knows of any please let me know. Did you do any sea time while you were in pussers if so where?. They had only started sending wrans to sea when i left pussers so i never served with any at sea only at the Tross. I certainly wouldnt call it bulk cooking on any of those merchant ships as you said only cooking for 20 tops so not like a pussers warrie where 220 was the norm theres not a lot of cost cutting to do on the ships or the mining rigs or camps You get a real good allowance to feed the troops and you can do a la carte meals if you want its up to you as long as the boys are happy and dont go on strike You have,nt got an unlimited budget but its more than adequate for your needs you can get quite creative and you have you never get bored I think the women working for shell would be officers with bridge watching certificates I will ring Smiley up and get this cleared up for you and me regards quinny

cheers for the reply
My cousin jokingly said who would let women up this far on the ship. What a chauvinist!!! He was surrounded by them so we gave him a look. About women at sea when I was on my first and last ship the HMAS Manoora it was pretty much all women except 2 blokes. Oh and the POCK. Can't wait to hear from your mate. About resumes. I'm not as old as you probably so I still need to get a good reputation up. I want to go and work overseas.

Who was the POCK i may have known him. I have been out some 16 years now and the Navy has changed somewhat. I remember how much shit it caused when they decided to send wrans to sea and now they are on the bridge as officers ah well it's equal opportunity now. I served at a time when women were only just tolerated by sailors They were paid at a lower pay rate than males it was really a male dominated service in those days. Things have certainly changed thats for sure. When i think of how the wrans were treated in my time in pussers its a wonder any of them stayed in. A lot of blokes including me were always giving the wrans heaps swearing and taking the piss out of wrans was pretty much the norm, mind you the wrans gave as good as what they got. The navy was starting to change when i got out in 1991 and the lot for the wrans has improved somewhat, hence when i got out in civvy street i had to make some big adjustments, the civvies take every thing so serious No taking the piss out of them or they're off crying to the big boss been there done that. They are very thin skinned i found that out the hard way on more than one occasion Cant say things like #Pull your finger out Bitch #you find yourself in more shit than Batman. You got to treat them with kid gloves. Thats the main difference i found I have a pretty fair resume and since being out of pussers have done so many different things I dont think im a male chauvinist and i firmly believe that if that a woman is doing the same work as a bloke then she should be paid accordingly Its true that women have had to fight hard for this long overdue recognition . Hear endeth the lesson Regard s quinny

cheers for the reply, Quinny
Yes women are getting more recognised and we have more power and rights now more then ever. I'm so glad. The Navy is definately better for it letting women out to sea. Except some of the women let the ones who are doing the right thing down. So glad I'm out. I have worked in two kitchens where the boss was a women. one was the owner and head chef and the other was a big company however she didn't last too long because she was an ok boss she just didn't want to play the game the same as the other head chefs in the other restraunts in the company. I still keep in contact with her since I don't work with any other female chefs who'd I want to go out with. The bosses I've had are John Mullens, Kylie Green, Curley (kind of in that order too.

no cant recall any of them cant write much tonight as im Going to watch jacka rse s the movie so i wll catch you later my Email Is #quinn52_2@hotmail.com #you can write to me on this if you like regards Quinny

Galleys i've known.
Paid off in 61 as an ABCK after 7 years and picked up a Chief Cook/Chief Stewards job on an old ex-pusser's salvage vessel purchased by an Indonesian company called The Pacific Tug & Salvage Company. She was the former HMAS Reserve that had been pulled out of Ship's In Reserve at Athol Bight where she had been moldering for 7 years before being refurbished and rebadged as the 'MV Pacific Reserve', registered in Panama. I cooked for a crew of 20, victualled her, baked bread, broke up half carcases and ran the canteen for a trip that took 47 days to Yokohama towing two old ex-pussers frigates. Then off to hong Kong, towed barges to Malaya, hauled an old oil tanker back from Singapore. Did this for six months, eax exempt as we where foreign going, made heaps but I wouldn't do it again, once was enough, I was 24 then, single young and fit. I later signed on with the Marine Cook's Association in Sydney and sailed on various vessel belonging to ANL, BHP, CSR, etc as either Chief, Second and once as Third Cook on either the Australian coast or overseas on the Allunga or Australian Exporter cruising both side of the USA and Canada vis Panama Canal. The things you do. Never again, too bloody old. Regards. Irish.