18/09/2025
Former RAN Junior Recruits
Return to Fremantle Sapphire Jubilee Reunion
Ex-Navy trainees to gather at Leeuwin Barracks this November for what could be their one last major reunion.
Many of the Royal Australian Navy’s former Junior Recruits (JRs) from 1960 to 1984 are preparing to reunite in Fremantle for the 2025 Sapphire Jubilee Reunion, to be held from Friday 7 to Wednesday 12 November at their former training base, HMAS Leeuwin – now known as Leeuwin Barracks.
Commissioned in 1941 as a logistics base, Leeuwin has long been part of Fremantle’s history and remains under Federal Government control, supporting the training and accommodation needs of the Australian Defence Force.
The landmark Drill Hall will host the opening ‘meet and greet’ afternoon tea, where hundreds of ex-recruits will reconnect and share stories of their time at Leeuwin and their service days in the RAN.
“There will be a few surprises in store for many of the old boys who haven’t been back since leaving Leeuwin after their first 12 months of Navy life at just 16 years of age,” said Tingira President, Brad Murphy OAM.
While the original accommodation blocks are gone, the main dining hall – which once served 800 boys three times daily – remains in good condition.
The Junior Recruit Training Scheme represented the second generation of young sailors to join the Navy, following in the footsteps of the “Tingira Boys” who first trained aboard HMAS Tingira in 1912. To preserve this legacy, the Tingira Australia Association was formed in 2010 after the first major Leeuwin reunion.
“The time is right for one last big reunion at Leeuwin Barracks,” said Tingira National Secretary, Mark Lee.
“We’ve got Tingira boys and partners travelling from all corners of Australia – and even one from the west coast of the USA.”
Preparations for the event are well underway, with memorabilia and supplies delivered to the Navy’s Seapower headquarters in Canberra. Seapower is among several major supporters of the reunion, alongside the Royal Australian Navy, which will play an active role in the six-day program.
A highlight of the reunion will be the Remembrance Day commemoration at the Junior Recruit Memorial, to be held at Leeuwin Barracks on Tuesday, 11 November at 10.30 am. The service will be attended by the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, AO, alongside many former RAN Junior Recruits, their families and friends.
ENDS RELEASE
PIC - Commander Ami Hansen of the RAN Australia Seapower and Tingira Australia Association National Secretary Mark Lee, with the original HMAS Tingira Life Buoy as part of the memorabilia collection, we are heading west for the Junior Recruit reunion celebrations in November.
