Endeavour deckhands thrilled

Two young indigenous women from the Rockingham area have just arrived homefrom the ‘‘trip of a lifetime’’ onboard a replica of Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour, which docked in Fremantle last Wednesday.

Picture by Caroline Marshall: Nita Jones, 19, of Waikiki and Chelsea Simon, 20, of Rockingham on the Endeavour

Krystal Jetta, 18, of Warnbro, and Chelsea Simon, 20, of Rockingham had joined the the ship at Geraldton and sailed to Fremantle on a six-day trip as part of its first voyage circumnavigating Australia.

Another Rockingham teenager, Nita Jones, 19, of Waikiki, had flown up to Exmouth on September 28 and sailed on the Endeavour to Geraldton.

Miss Jones,who had never before been on a plane or a ship, described it as the ‘‘journey of a lifetime’’ despite her seasickness, and said it enabled her to see whales and dolphins for the first time.

The young women had to hoist the sails, drop anchor, sleep in hammocks and scrub the decks as part of the ship’s crew.

Their places on the crew, made up of 50 professional and 50 volunteer sailors, were secured by Bridging the Gapin Rockingham as part of its Indigenous Employment Program.

The program aims to develop the leadership and long-term job prospects of young Aboriginal people.

Miss Jones is going to work on the mines on a fly-in, fly-out basis, Miss Simon is studying outdoor recreation at TAFE,and Miss Jetta is studying children’s services.