Cdr / Capf Anne McNamara 00328 Log O Sea (Mer)

  1. CDR ANNE MCNAMARA (NÉE SAMPLE, A.K.A. MENARD) RETIRED FROM THE CAF ON 11 JUL 18 AFTER 38 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE.
  2. LOOKING FOR A SUMMER JOB THAT WOULD PAY BETTER THAN FARM LABOUR FOR DAD, YOUNG ANNE SAMPLE WAS INTRIGUED BY A RECRUITING POSTER SHE SAW AT HER HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE NAVAL RESERVE SUMMER STUDENT TRAINING PROGRAM (NRSSTP) – AND SO BEGAN THE ADVENTURE IN JULY 1980 IN HMCS CARLETON. ABLE WREN SAMPLE S FIRST CAREER WITHIN A CAREER WAS AS A FIN CLK (SHE WANTED TO BE A BOSN BUT IT WASN T OPEN TO WOMEN). ANNE ENJOYED WORKING AS A FIN CLK TO PAY HER WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY, ESPECIALLY THE SUMMERS IN HALIFAX AND ESQUIMALT. AFTER ONLY A FEW YEARS DOING SO, SHE WAS TAGGED IN 1984, AS AN INSTRUCTOR AT CFSAL BORDEN AND SPENT THE NEXT FOUR SUMMERS TRAINING EVERY TQ3 AND 5 NAVAL RESERVE FIN CLK FROM COAST TO COAST.
  3. AFTER THE SECOND AND SUPPOSEDLY FINAL SUMMER IN BORDEN MASTER WREN SAMPLE MADE A DEAL WITH HER CAREER MANAGER THAT SHE’D DO ANOTHER SUMMER OF TEACHING IF SHE COULD BE LOADED ON A REG F SHIP S DIVER COURSE (THE RES COURSES WERE ALWAYS IN THE SUMMER WHEN SHE HAD TO BE IN BORDEN). THE DEAL WAS MADE AND SHE WAS LOADED ON THE SEP 86 FDU(P) COURSE – ONLY THE SECOND YEAR THAT WOMEN COULD GET IT. SADLY, TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE COURSE FDU(P) SENT OUT A MSG THAT THERE WERE NO FEMALE CHANGE/SHOWER FACILITIES AVAILABLE, SO AFTER HUNDREDS OF MILES AND THOUSANDS OF SIT-UPS AND PUSH-UPS TRAINING, ANNE S DREAM OF BECOMING A SHIP S DIVER WAS CRUSHED. HER CAREER MGR OFFERED TO SEND HER ON THE JAN/FEB COURSE AT FDU(A) – A CHILLY PROSPECT THAT ANNE JUMPED AT. SO IN THE DEAD OF WINTER OF 1987 PO2 SAMPLE FOUND HERSELF FREEZING IN THE DEPTHS OF HALIFAX HARBOUR – THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF HER MILITARY CAREER – AND BECOMING AMONGST THE FIRST WOMEN IN THE CAF TO SUCCESSFULLY CHALLENGE THE TRAINING.
  4. WHEN THE NEW OCCUPATION OF NAV RES PORT INSPECTION DIVER WAS CREATED IN 1989, ANNE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO REMUSTER – AND THUS BEGAN HER SECOND CAREER WITHIN A CAREER. PO2 ANNE MENARD WAS A MEMBER OF HMCS MONTCALM S DIVE TEAM FROM 1989 TO 1991 AND THEN IN HMCS DONNACONA WHERE SHE WAS ALSO APPOINTED AS THE FIRST LAURENTIAN REGION DIVE CENTRE CHIEF. IN 1996 PO2 MENARD WAS POSTED TO FDU(A) IN SHEARWATER NS AND SOON AFTER BECAME THE FIRST IC OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED PORT INSPECTION DIVE TEAM (PIDT) ATLANTIC. PO1 MENARD REMAINED IN THIS POSITION UNTIL 2001 WHEN SHE WENT BACK TO SCHOOL FULL-TIME WITH AN EYE TO A FUTURE CAREER IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
  5. FROM 2002 TO 2004 SHE WAS A MEMBER OF HMCS SCOTIAN S DIVE TEAM. THEN, ANTICIPATING A MOVE BACK HOME TO OTTAWA WHERE DIVE JOBS WERE SCARCE AND FEELING THE EFFECTS OF 100+ POUNDS OF DIVE GEAR ON A 40+ YR OLD FRAME, ANNE DECIDED THAT A CHANGE WAS NEEDED. AND SO BEGAN HER THIRD CAREER WITHIN A CAREER – THAT OF LOG O. PO1 MENARD CFR D IN MAY 2004 AND SHE, DANNY AND EMILY TAGGED ALONG WITH KP ON HIS POSTING TO OTTAWA IN JULY OF THE SAME YEAR. SINCE THEN, SHE S WORKED AS A LOG O IN HMCS CARLETON, DGCB/DCBA, CMS/GL-MSOC, CLS/C-IED TF, C ARMY G1, AND FINALLY DGMC/DMCPG.

 

  1. CDR ANNE MCNAMARA RELEASED FROM THE CAF ON 11 JUL 18 WITH 38 YEARS OF SERVICE. ON 12 JUL 18 SHE BEGAN HER FOURTH CAREER WITHIN HER DND CAREER AS A PUBLIC SERVANT IN DGMC/DMCPG. A VERY INFORMAL DWD GET TOGETHER WILL TAKE PLACE ON 29 AUG 18 AT 1200 AT THE CRPTC ALL RANKS MESS. THOSE WISHING TO ATTEND OR WISHING TO SEND SALTY DITS, EMBARRASSING PHOTOS, OR TALL TALES, ARE ASKED TO CONTACT KURT STRAND NO LATER THAN 24 AUG 18 AT THE FOLLOWING EMAIL: KURT.STRAND@FORCES.GC.CA

 

  1. LE CAPF ANNE MCNAMARA (NEE SAMPLE, ALIAS MENARD) A PRIS SA RETRAITE DES FAC LE 11 JUILET 18, APRES 38 ANS DE BONS ET LOYAUX SERVICES
  2. EN JUILLET 1980, ALORS QU ELLE EST A LA RECHERCHE D UN EMPLOI D ETE MIEUX REMUNERE QUE CELUI DE TRAVAILLEUSE AGRICOLE POUR SON PERE, ELLE EST INTRIGUEE PAR UNE AFFICHE DE RECRUTEMENT QU ELLE APPERCOIT A SON ECOLE SECONDAIRE, CONCERNANT LE PROGRAMME D ETE DE LA RESERVE NAVALE A L INTENTION DES ETUDIANTS (PERNE) – ET DONC, ELLE DEBUTE SON AVENTURE AU NAVIRE CANADIEN DE SA MAJESTE (NCSM) CARLETON. LA PREMIERE PARTIE DE LA CARRIERE DU WREN 2 SAMPLE EST A TITRE DE COMMIS C (ELLE VEUT OCCUPER LE POSTE DE MANOEUVRIER MAIS IL N EST PAS OUVERT AUX FEMMES). ANNE AIME TRAVAILLER A TITRE DE COMMIS C POUR PAYER SES ETUDES UNIVERSITAIRES, ET SURTOUT POUR LES ETES PASSES A HALIFAX ET A ESQUIMALT. EN 1984, ELLE EST CHOISIE POUR OCCUPER LE POSTE D INSTRUCTRICE A L ECOLE D ADMINISTRATION ET DE LOGISTIQUE DES FORCES CANADIENNES DE BORDEN, ET ELLE PASSE QUATRE ETES A ENTRAINER CHAQUE COMMIS C DE LA RESERVE NAVALE DE NQ3 ET NQ5 D UN OCEAN A L AUTRE
  3. APRES SON DEUXIEME ET SUPPOSEMENT DERNIER ETE A BORDEN, LE MASTER WREN SAMPLE CONCLU UNE ENTENTE AVEC SON GESTIONNAIRE DES CARRIERES (GC), SELON LAQUELLE ELLE PASSERA UN AUTRE ETE A ENSEIGNER SI ELLE PEUT PARTICIPER A UN COURS DE PLONGEUR DE BORD DE LA FORCE REGULIERE (LES COURS DE LA FORCE DE RESERVE ETAIENT TOUJOURS DONNES PENDANT L ETE LORSQU ELLE DEVAIT ETRE A BORDEN). EN SEPTEMBRE 86, ELLE S INSCRIT AU COURS DE L UNITE DE PLONGEE DE LA FLOTTE (PACIFIQUE), OU UPF(P) – IL S AGIT DE LA DEUXIEME ANNEE SEULEMENT OU LES FEMMES PEUVENT PARTICIPER AU COURS. MALHEUREUSEMENT, DEUX SEMAINES AVANT LE DEBUT DU COURS, L UPF(P) ENVOIE UN MESSAGE INDIQUANT QU IL N Y A PAS DE VESTIAIRES ET DE DOUCHES POUR LES FEMMES, DONC APRES AVOIR PARCOURU DES CENTAINES DE MILLES ET EFFECTUE DES MILLIERS DE REDRESSEMENTS ASSIS ET DE POMPES, LE REVE D ANNE DE DEVENIR UNE PLONGEUSE DE BORD S EFFONDRE. SON GC OFFRE DE L INSCRIRE AU COURS DE JANVIER/FEVRIER A L UPF(A) – ET ANNE SAUTE SUR CETTE OCCASION DE SE DEMENAGER AU FROID. EN PLEIN COEUR DE L HIVER DE 87, LE M 2 SAMPLE SE RETROUVE EN TRAIN DE GELER AU BEAU MILIEU DU PORT D HALIFAX – CE QUI FUT LA MEILLEURE EXPERIENCE DE SA CARRIERE – ET ELLE EST L UNE DES PREMIERES FEMMES DANS LES FAC A REUSSIR L INSTRUCTION
  4. EN 89, LORSQUE LE NOUVEAU GROUPE PROFESSIONNEL DE PLONGEUR D INSPECTION PORTUAIRE EST CREE, ANNE EST L UNE DES PREMIERES