17th of December 2007

Blue Heelers alum Lisa McCune made waves playing naval officer Kate aboard the HMAS Hammersley. Along with a crew of toned youngsters, Kate and dashing ex-boyfriend Lt Commander Mike Flynn chased pirates weathered cyclones, saved children – and tried to unlock the mysteries of Bright Island.

Best of

- The team hunted a suspected private ship only to find it was full of refugees.

- Kate was injured during a conformation with some nasty ech-terrorists.

Mike was forced to sink the boat carrying his girlfriend in order to capture a deadly criminal.

By Renee Redmond
12Dec07

BIG explosions, political unrest, rigged elections, military coups and … mozzies?

“That’s what you can expect from the second series of Sea Patrol,” promised the show’s star Ian Stenlake, while slapping away another mosquito.

The former Stingers star was itching to get into the action at the Rudy Maas Marina in Steiglitz yesterday, where filming of the second series of the successful Channel Nine drama Sea Patrol was heating up.

“Aside from the mozzies and the heat, it’s a great location,” said Stenlake.

The marina near Jacobs Well is building a reputation as a filming location, only 30 minutes from the Warner Roadshow Studios in Oxenford.

In February, it was used for filming of part of the $100 million feature film Fool’s Gold starring Hollywood A-List actors Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, who also enjoyed a drink at the purpose-built Pelican Bar at the marina.

Yesterday, Rudy Maas was transformed into the fictitious Samura Island, set up with tourist stalls of fresh fruit, woven baskets, sunglasses and sarongs, a police station and a rusted, run-down shed signed ‘Clinic’.

“The island is in a situation similar to East Timor. There’s a lot of political unrest and part of our job is trying to keep the peace; we’re rebuilding the hospital but we get blown up in the middle of it,” said Stenlake.

In one scene shot yesterday, Stenlake casually walks past the street stalls, saluting the locals, while another crew member chases local children playfully after being sprayed with their water guns.

But the harmonious atmosphere turns volatile at the next turn when an explosion is set off, forcing everyone to run and take cover.

After two practice takes where the word ‘bang’ is yelled out, it was time for the real explosion.

Ear plugs were handed out to cast and crew for the potentially dangerous scene and camera crews prepared for the blast by wearing plastic shields over their faces.

A loud bang went off and the set was covered in thick black smoke.

Stenlake, who plays the HMAS Hammersley’s Commanding Officer Mike Flynn, said it was one of many explosions planned for series two.

“Series two is a more impressive series, there’s more action, more electricity between the characters and the story-line pushes the political boundaries,” he said.

“The show is making the public more aware of what can happen and what the Navy’s doing to protect our boundaries.”

Sea Patrol is written and produced by Hal and Di McElroy.

Filming of the first and second series has been spread between Mission Beach, Cairns, the Gold Coast and Sydney.

In February, parts of series one of Sea Patrol were filmed at the Gold Coast Convention Centre and The Spit.

This time around they’ve been filming at the Griffith University Hospital and plan to shoot at locations in the Tallebudgera Valley.

Sea Patrol’s leading lady Lisa McCune (Blue Heelers) said she was enjoying the Gold Coast and had brought her husband Tim and three children along.

“My family travel everywhere with me, so every night I get to go home and be mum,” said McCune.

The Melbourne actor plays second in charge on the Navy patrol boat and agreed with Stenlake that viewers could expect more from series two.

“There’s a heavier feel to it this time around, it’s a more mature series but it’s still a family show you can sit down with the kids and watch,” she said.

Sea Patrol is expected to wrap up filming in February.

Meanwhile, another Channel Nine television series, The Strip, has also been confirmed for the Gold Coast. The sexy crime series is expected to begin pre-production on the Coast from the middle of next year.

Defence Family Matters
Summer 07 / 08

Where we ask seven salty questions of Hal and Di McElroy, Sea Patrol creators and executive producers. Sea Patrol is a television drama focussing on the crew of the fictional Royal Australian Navy patrol boat HMAS Hammersley. The series screened this year on Channel Nine, and will return with a second series in 2008.

Hal McElroy has worked on, produced, and created many of Australia’s biggest films and TV shows, including such projects such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, Razorback, and Blue Heelers. In addition to Sea Patrol, Di McElroy has also worked on Balmain Boys and the TV series Above the Law.

Sea Patrol is a massive production for Australian TV. How did the concept for Sea Patrol come about and how hard was it to get the green light?

We were driving through the suburb of Larrakeyah in Darwin and the Navy base there on a wet rainy day in the Christmas of 2003. We saw its beautiful position and the various Navy boats at anchor below it. We looked at each other and said ‘what about a TV series about the Navy?’ Straight away we realised that any production would be impossible without Navy cooperation every step of the way and that cooperation would not be forthcoming unless the Boss said yes. So our first meeting with Navy was with the then Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie. Boy, were we on tenterhooks when we walked into his office at Navy Headquarters in Canberra (with our carefully written concept document) simply not knowing how he’d react.

He was marvellous. Straight away he said, ‘yes, we love the idea – which part of Navy did you want to focus on?’ and we said, ‘Patrol Boats because with their relatively small company (approximately 25 crew) it was more like a family than say an MFU whose ship’s company (150-200) is more like a village!’

Again Chief of Navy said ‘exactly, that’s what we want too’. Why? Well, interestingly not just for recruitment. There are lots of reasons. The morale of the Patrol Boat service (because they are often overlooked) and for their families who can’t see what they do. For the politicians so they can see how their money is being spent. For the general public who, generally speaking, are completely unaware of the importance of border protection’ – this was obviously well before the Seven Network series ‘Border Security’.

So we wrote a formal proposal, the Chief agreed, accepted it and then and only then did we go to Channel Nine, as we had always felt it was perfect for their audience.

Nine thought so too, and immediately provided funding for research and development and later script writing. Thousands of hours of research later, hundreds of interviews of patrol boat crews, days on Patrol Boats, dozens of drafts, two years later Nine gave us the green light. And now we are shooting Series Two – 45 days in Mission Beach and Cairns, Far North Queensland and another 40 odd days on the Gold Coast.

Like with any fictional program, balancing the depiction of reality against dramatic necessity is a challenge. How difficult is it to balance real life Navy against the needs of the story?

The biggest challenge you face when telling the story of a real profession, like Navy, is the balance between drama and reality.

It’s been said that good drama is life with the boring bits cut out. But what’s boring – the real procedures or the personal lives of the central characters?

We had to be fair and accurate in our portrayal of Navy life whilst at the same time providing an entertaining hour of television – with four other Free TV networks and 50 Pay TV channels competing to steal our audience away whilst armchair critics took pot shots from every direction.

We had to resist the temptation of turning it into a soap opera at sea without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. We think it finished up pretty well balanced.

So we were relieved and proud when we received a personal note from Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders, congratulating us on the show and saying he was proud for Navy to be associated with a show of such quality.

I’m old enough to remember the ABC series Patrol Boat, especially its stirring theme music. Did this series provide an inspiration for Sea Patrol?

The original Patrol Boat TV series was made nearly 30 years ago. Whilst many in Navy, particularly the older folk, have fond memories, other than being set on a Patrol Boat it really has no bearing on Sea Patrol which is squarely aimed at a viewing audience who weren’t even born when Patrol Boat first went to air on the ABC in 1979. And of course the Armidale Class Patrol Boat’s crewing and weaponry is very different to the old Attack class. She’s a bigger, stronger, smarter platform (and crew) to meet very different tasking.

Speaking of the Armidale class, the Hammersley from season one was a Fremantle class patrol boat. Indeed it was very much a character in the first season,with its age and impending fate providing some of the story elements. How do you think the new Armidale setting will change the show? For example will it mean more female crew depicted?

The presence of a brand new warship like the Armidale has profoundly altered the look of Sea Patrol Series Two. The Armidale is a beautifully lethal state of the art modern warship with armaments to match. Her crewing is very different as they can accommodate not only female officers but female seaman as well. So there is a new character – a female chef – called ‘Bomber’ Brown.

New chef! What happened to Cheffo?

He got posted off!

Shooting on a ship at sea must have been quite the challenge as well. How long did it take cast and crew to get their sea legs? Were there any incidents?

We don’t think that anyone has attempted to shoot a TV series where virtually the entire story is set at sea.

So we were going into unchartered waters. First we had to figure out how to get the crew and equipment out to sea every day. Answer – charter a 35 metre Catamaran Ferry and load 50 people and six tonnes of equipment aboard every day. Then figure out what camera equipment. Answer – invent a series of simple to use mechanical rigs that compensated for the pitch of the vessel. Then figure out how to deal with the dangers in the water – sharks, stingers, crocs. Answer – shark repelling pads, stinger suits and safety divers. All before we started.

Sure there was sea sickness but we all learnt from Navy that that’s nothing to be ashamed of – just get on with it. As for ‘incidents’, well we sure saw sharks and stingers and even a croc but we’re pleased, proud (and relieved) that no one was hurt or injured or equipment lost despite over 1,200 boat-to-boat transfers of all those people and equipment (that’s 30 a day!) over the shooting period.

Have you got any hints for us as to what’s in store for the crew in Series two?

In Series two, HMAS Hammersley is tasked to evacuate some Aussie miners from Samaru, a strife torn but mineral rich Pacific Island nation.

There they rescue wealthy mining entrepreneur Ray Walsman (Alan Dale) who becomes an important player in an unfolding drama of mercenaries, insurgencies, weapon smuggling and political destabilisation.

All the while Hammersley’s crew has to deal with the ‘normal’ challenges of border protection, fisheries, quarantine and smuggling of all sorts.

Hal and Di McElroy, thanks for talking with dfm

Fun Facts about Sea Patrol

• there were 770 scripted scenes shot in 83 days (39 at sea) for the first series.

• that Sea Patrol will appear in over 200 countries on the Hallmark channel.

• that the producers had to get explicit written consent from the then Minister for Defence to use the words Royal Australian Navy as they are ‘restricted words’ and can’t be used by just anybody.

• there were 93 speaking roles in the 13 episodes.

• that there’s already an unofficial fan website for Sea Patrol.

• that Series one is already available on DVD.

• that Series two is underway with 800 scenes for 85 shooting days with 44 days at sea (off Mission Beach, Far North Queensland). This time HMAS Broome is playing HMAS Hammersley.

• that Jay Ryan who plays Spider rose to fame in Neighbours using his original name of Jay Bunyan.

• that Ian Stenlake and Lisa McCune are both world class singers and dancers and are going to star together in the musical comedy Guys and Dolls.

9 November 2007

Compared to the old days onboard Fremantle Class Patrol Boats, life in the new Armidale Class Patrol Boat galley is pretty sweet. Working in a dark dingy galley with room for one, and smelling of a hundred different meals is now a thing of the past.

We now have two cooks per crew, each with enough room to swing a cat or at least a tasty lamb roast. Rather than having to go below decks and into hidden crevices to get victuals, the Cheffo’s access food stores readily and easily from the same deck, most supplies are even right at hand inside the galley’s many fridges and freezers.

The equipment is modern and easy to use, something we are more accustom to seeing in a five star restaurant, rather than on a Patrol Boat. With the new Noble K fire suppressant system over the deep fat fryer, coupled with automated fire doors, fireproofed walls and a sprinkler system, the galley is not only a dream to cook in, but extremely safe too.

It’s not just the Galley that benefits from the flash ‘mod cons’, all crew members are working better routines in more comfortable surroundings. The Junior Sailors receive four berth cabins, with the Senior Sailors and Officers not forgotten, with double berths, including an en-suite in each. There are large recreational spaces for all, soon to include wide screen LCD TVs.

The Machinery Control Room is a thing of the past with technical department keeping watches on the bridge through the wonder of Marinelink, a computer system that monitors and controls everything technical at the push of a button. The Navigator/Executive Officer and his Officers of the Watch get to work with cutting edge technology too, with a Navigational Data System that put paper charts onto a computer screen, bringing RAN navigation into the 21st century and beyond. The Bosun’s also benefit, with their new Gunnery equipment; the highly accurate Typhoon 25mm gun, that is all controlled by a small joystick on the bridge! They also get the opportunity to operate the new Jet powered seaboats, with a full computer chart display onboard. These boats are deployed with a new crane system that allows a full Boarding Party to be embarked during the launch, no steadying line in sight.

With the second series Sea Patrol currently in production, soon the rest of the Australia will be able to see how sleek and sexy our new Patrol Boats really are.

Batting for the Battlers – Celebrity Charity Cricket Match

Batting for the Battlers is St Kilda’s annual Celebrity Charity Cricket Match. Once again, the famous and the infamous will pick their sides and take to the field (this year at the Ross Gregory Oval in St Kilda) to raise money for St Kilda’s Sacred Heart Mission.

The match will include Joel Edgerton, John Jarrett, Gary Sweet and his actor son Frank Sweet, Dermott Brereton, James Brayshaw, Dave Hughes, Russell Gilbert, Brett Tucker, Lisa McCune, Shane Bourne, Damien Oliver, Robert Taylor, Des Dowling, David Lightfoot, Steve Whittaker aka The King of Tonga, Geoff Morrell, Aaron Pedersen, Michael Veitch and many more. Those not taking to the field will take turns on the commentary mics, cracking jokes and sending up the players, making for an incredibly entertaining and hilarious day.

Musicians Ross Wilson & the Urban Legends, Nick Barker and Phil Ceberano will play sets at half-time and after the match. David Hobson will sing the National Anthem backed by Sacred Heart Mission’s Choir of Hard Knocks. Nova 100.3 FM’s Casanovas will broadcast live crosses from the ground. There will also be a half-time auction of goods donated by St Kilda retailers plus the painting used for the poster/billboards by Archibald Prize winner Lewis Miller. And bring the kids early to take part in a Kids Cricket Clinic with St Kilda Cricket Club players at 9.30am.

There’ll also be plenty of fabulous food available, and beer, wine, soft drinks and juices will be available from our bars – so no BYO please.

Sunday 4th February 2007
Ross Gregory Oval cnr Lakeside Drive & Fitzroy St
(opposite the Junction Oval)
St Kilda

Contact Phoebe Wilson on 9537 1166 for more information, or for marquee bookings.