The first woman to command a ship in the Royal Australian Navy will be a special guest speaker at this year’s Anzac Day commemorations in Kingaroy.
Captain Jenny Daetz, who is now the Director of Education and Training at the Australian Defence Force Academy, will speak at the Dawn Service and Anzac Day Service.
She will also give a special address to Kingaroy State High School students on April 24.
Captain Daetz, who joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1986 at the age of 17, trained as a Seaman Officer on the HMAS Jervis Bay, Stalwart and Moresby before deciding to specialise as a hydrographic surveyor aboard the HMAS Penguin in 1990.
From 1992-1994 she served as Executive Officer on the HMAS Shepparton before completing the Royal Navy Long Hydrographic Course on the HMS Drake at Plymouth, after which she was posted as an instructor at the RAN Hydrographic School.
In 1997, she was appointed Commanding Officer of the HMAS Shepparton, becoming the first woman to command a ship in the Royal Australian Navy.
In 2000, Lieutenant Commander Daetz was deployed to Antarctica in the privately owned vessel MV Sir Hubert Wilkins as a “one man” navy survey team, where she completed a hydrographic survey of Boat Harbour (adjacent to Mawson’s Hut) and the approaches and anchorages in Commonwealth Bay.
Between 2001 and 2003, Jenny was Executive Officer of the hydrographic ship HS White.
She was promoted to Commander in January 2005 and appointed Commanding Officer of HS Red, and on completion was appointed Commanding Officer of HMAS Cairns and awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 2009.
She was then promoted to Captain and posted to Navy Strategic Command in January 2011 as Deputy Hydrographer.
Three years later she was posted to the Australian Defence Force Academy, where she is now the Director of Education and Training.
Apart from her skills in mapping the ocean floor, Jenny also holds Masters degrees in Business Administration and Conflict Dispute Resolution from James Cook University.
Barry Krosch, from the Kingaroy Anzac Day Committee, said the group were delighted to have Captain Daetz speak at this year’s commemorations.
“We are very lucky to have her coming to the South Burnett,” Barry said.
Barry also announced that the Parade Commander at this year’s Anzac Day Parade will be former RAN Chief Petty Officer Dean Faunt.
