Sunday 4 April 2010

Wombat Room

This


is where the Officers


gather


for a pre-dinner drink.


Note the pictures


of the Royal chicks.


Note the collection of silver and various whatnots from all over the world, gifts, apparently from grateful guests.


Note the stuffed wombat in the ceiling fan.


This, also a generous gift, from a member of the Royal family on the understanding that it would be given much love and care. Instead, it was the centre of some sort of game that may have similarities with cricket or polo, but without the horses. Landing said wombat in the ceiling fan made a goal, or something like that. Grown men, one and all...

This is where the Officers dine.


I forget all the protocol they mentioned, but there was of course a dress code, a prescribed number of toasts by certain officers and the most junior officer had to tell an interesting story at the end of the meal.

Not my idea of a relaxing evening, but then I don't guess one is ever not on duty when on a ship.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think my sons (baby and toddler) would very much enjoy the concept of a wombat room...or at least a game that involved trying to land a stuffed wombat on a ceiling fan!

Rick Stone said...

Naval Officer's are just overgrown little boys. BTW, the room where they dine is The Wardroom. During your tour did you get to see where the enlisted (the people who actually do any work) slept and ate. (Officer's dine, enlisted eat.) Also, teak wood is very common in shipbuilding. The main decks of most battleships and large cruisers were made of teakwood even though the rest of the ship was steel. I have a piece of the teak wood that made up the main deck of my old ship, USS NEWPORT NEWS, that was save when the ship was cut up for salvage.

Shelley said...

Kristen - Nice of you to stop by, hope you return!

Rick - Thanks for the expert input. Wardroom, Wombatroom, I knew it was something with a W! I love it that Officers dine and enlisted eat. Cut up for salvage...sounds grim.