During the open day at the 2025 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, project officer for STS Young Endeavour Commander Gavin Dawe shared his lessons learned from 49 years' service in the Navy.
It's not uncommon for 12-year-olds to hero worship their older siblings.
However, for Commander Gavin Dawe, the admiration of his older brother led to almost half a century of service to his country.
"My brother joined the Navy as a junior officer three years before me. He would come home and tell me all these stories of adventures and the things he'd done. I thought, 'this seems like a good career for me'," he said.
Growing up in Tasmania, Commander Dawe has always felt at home on the water.
"I grew up in Launceston. I'd always had an interest in water and sailing in general. I grew up sailing sabots on the Tamar River and in Sea Scouts."
At an age where most people don't even know what subjects they want to study in senior school, Commander Dawe already felt his life's calling, enlisting before he could even drive a car.
"It was a real adjustment, and like every 15-year-old I was homesick, but I loved the experience," he said.
As its own island within an island nation, Commander Dawe believes that Tasmanians have a strong and proud affinity with Navy.
"The Navy has always had a presence down here for special events. As the Hobart Regatta flagship and always here for a great deal of ceremonial events, so Tasmanians have always felt close to the Navy, and for a lot of young people it gives them an opportunity to experience the rest of the country and the world," Commander Dawe said.
As a Leading Seaman, he was a member of the commissioning crew for the Adelaide-class frigate HMAS Canberra in 1981. He has also served on the destroyer HMAS Perth, as an Australian on board HMY Britannia for the Bicentenary, and as Executive Officer of HMAS Betano.
'I have seen the benefits [the Young Endeavour program] has for young people and how their confidence grows and the friendships they make.'
In 2008, Commander Dawe proudly took the helm as Captain of STS Young Endeavour, a posting that still fills him with pride.
"It's just everything the ship does for young Australians. I feel very honoured to have had so much time with the ship and with the youth development program," he said.
"I have seen the benefits it has for young people and how their confidence grows and the friendships they make."
Commander Dawe was Captain of Young Endeavour from 2008-10, and again from 2014-17, when he circumnavigated the globe with a youth crew in 2015.
Currently the ship's project officer, he is adamant that despite having the opportunity to explore the world, there's one port that he holds sacred above all others.
"It is always special - I love sailing up the Derwent and seeing Mount Wellington," Commander Dawe said.
"It is such a beautiful river to sail in; it always feels like a homecoming every time I sail into Hobart, even though I am from Launceston. I love all of this state."
If he passes on one lesson from his 49 years in the Navy, it's to always be curious and nurture your sense of adventure. He declares for young people trapped in a digital age of social media and technology, investing in a voyage in Young Endeavour would be life changing.
"From what I have experienced, this ship brings things back to basics," Commander Dawe said.
"You're out in the environment, you're working as a team, you're communicating face-to-face with people, and I really think in today's society it's about going back to basics and giving young people that appreciation of life."
Youth sailing voyages on board Young Endeavour are open for all Australians aged 16-23 years. Those wishing to set sail in 2025 can find more information about how to join the crew here: www.youngendeavour.gov.au/apply-now
