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After being out of the TF for a year I thought I would like to become involved again. I joined the Naval Reserve Shipping Control Branch. Exercises were a lot more comfortable than Army ones and we stayed in decent accommodation, not a hole in the ground in the cold. I attended basic training at HMNZS TAMAKI in 1985. It was only a 2 week course unlike the Army 12 week one. On moving to Wellington I transferred to HMNZS OLPHERT . I attended the weekly parades and evenings were generally spent training for ones role as a shipping controller and working through the task book for promotion.
RNZNVR – HMNZS OLPHERT (Ensign)
At Olphert I was promoted from OSC to ASC after completing my task book. I also undertook the Navigators Yeoman’s course at HMNZS TAMAKI, a two week course on how to maintain and amend charts. After completing the course I became responsible for responding to all the “Notices to Mariners” and correcting the ships charts. This was a task I quite enjoyed and gave me something practical to do on parade nights.
After a short time at Olphert I was recommended for officer selection. I attended a Reserve Officer Selection Board at HMNZS TAMAKI. It was quite an intensive two days and I managed to get a positive recommendation and was promoted to Ensign and completed my RNZNVR Officer training at TAMAKI in 1987. Where billets allowed I would go out with the crew on the Patrol craft HMNZS WAKAKURA. The small patrol craft were no fun in heavy seas. | 
