I've seen that right arm rate a few times, but I cannot find what "Branch" it is supposed to represent.

I could assume it's a Male, Female and Transgender Branch or more likely the Human Resources branch!!

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Brian Carney
R43371
Ex-WOMTP5
22nd Mobi Intake
Jan 67 - Jan 89
RANATE, Sydney, Swan, Creswell, Stalwart (FMU), Cerberus, Derwent, Nirimba, Parramatta, Nirimba, FHQ (FMMO).

There are three bods inside the wreath, so you could be right, BC... He, She and 'It'

However, I think your other guess is correct, it's 'HR' or Personell or whatever...

............

_________________

Rick Pengilly
WEBMASTER
Ex-CPOMTH3
R42630
13th MOBI Intake
July'62 to July'74
HMAS Nirimba - HMAS Melbourne - HMAS Cerberus - HMAS Tarangau - HMAS Lonsdale - HMAS Tarangau - HMAS Nirimba - HMAS Brisbane

I believe it's the National Guard branch badge. She's also using an SLR (sans bayonet) which is what the NG uses.

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Chris O'Keefe
R43136
Ex WO Chippy
19th MOBI Intake
July 65 to July 85
HMAS Nirimba X 4 -Penguin-Sydney-Queenborough - Creswell - Moreton - Stalwart - Platypus - Coonawarra Reconstruction Team 76 - Platypus - Hobart - Cerberus - FHQ - Coonawarra.

Anyone can be ordinary. Shipwrights choose to be extraordinary!

Interesting thing l noticed this year was that officers and senior Sailors wear the same coat these days. Eight shiny buttons on the front instead of the six matt brass ones that we used to wear. Obviously cuts costs.

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Steve Shepherd
R43062
Ex-CPOMTH3
18th MOBI Intake
Jan 65 to Jan 78
Nirimba,Sydney,Vampire,Tarangau,Albatross, Stalwart,Creswell.

If I remember correctly, I think the change came in the late 70's.

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Brian Carney
R43371
Ex-WOMTP5
22nd Mobi Intake
Jan 67 - Jan 89
RANATE, Sydney, Swan, Creswell, Stalwart (FMU), Cerberus, Derwent, Nirimba, Parramatta, Nirimba, FHQ (FMMO).

It also explained why yankee sailors in San Diego were often prone to saluting our WOs, CPOs, POs and even MOBIs in #1s...
...as from memory, (and as shown in the image above,) US Officers' dress uniforms only had 6 buttons...

_________________

Rick Pengilly
WEBMASTER
Ex-CPOMTH3
R42630
13th MOBI Intake
July'62 to July'74
HMAS Nirimba - HMAS Melbourne - HMAS Cerberus - HMAS Tarangau - HMAS Lonsdale - HMAS Tarangau - HMAS Nirimba - HMAS Brisbane

It's still shiny buttons for grunters and matte for senior sailors, when I was made up in '81, my new rigs came with shiny buttons and the XO blew his top at the next divisions, not a happy time for me at the next pp1a's.

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Ray Lawrence (Boris)
R95904
Ex-POETC3
18th JRTE Rhodes
Dec 1966 - Dec 1986
Leeuwin, Diamantina, Cerberusx4, Harmanx4, Waterhen, Barricade, Lae, Tarangau, Melbourne, Buccaneer, Coonawarrax3, Stuart, Swan, Adroit, Perth, Vampire.

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson