Aussie Rules win over hearts and minds in the Orient

Having discovered her sea legs, Frontier Medical medic Lynne Rowlands has taken up table tennis, rowed the Pacific and hurdled a few language barriers all in a bid to improve physical well-being and deliver cultural harmony to the 50-strong multinational regulars for whom, despite her title, she has become 'more than just a medic' in her first few months at sea.

Jumping ship from Mandurah, Western Australia, to embark on her first posting on an international seismic vessel, Lynne's own experiences in the remote Australian outback have helped her to overcome familiar challenges facing many organisations responsible for the health and well-being of a long-distance multinational crew.

The Orient, one of a fleet of seismic vessels operated by offshore exploration specialist, PGS, is home to 25 or so Russian seamen and a cultural mix of Norwegians, Belgians, British, Germans and Australians. When Lynne climbed on board in September, although some seamen had been on the team for as many as 20 years, there was still an East West divide and there were surprisingly few bridges where either side could meet.

Explains Lynne, "Despite the obvious intimacy forged by sharing a few hectares of ship, language and cultural barriers have created a team who work side by side but are socially still miles apart".

Falling back on a tried and tested Australian method of breaking the ice, Lynne introduced Sunday night top deck barbecues, now a regular and popular part of the ship's culinary routine. She then spiced things up by organising an all-comers table tennis tournament and pioneered her own communication offensive, swatting up on her Russian speaking skills with the help of regular lessons from the ship's interpreter.

"Apart from the sunsets, which are great, the Sunday night 'Barbie' on deck is a break from the usual meal time seating patterns," explains Lynne. "It's an environment where people can easily mix."

And it's made a huge difference for Lynne to be able to strike up a casual conversation with members of the Russian crew. She says, "What's been great is that others are also now taking lessons which will really improve understanding as well as professional teamwork."

Leading by example

Lynne also organised the ship's first Iron Man competition, a 'fun way to keep fit' in which crew are awarded points for a wide range of sporting activities such as ten minutes on the exercise bike or a brisk walk round the deck. Unfortunately, leading by example, Lynne spent lots of time in the gym and on the rowing machine, so the Orient's Iron Maiden beat the best of the rest. She promises not to win next time.

At Christmas, however, Lynne pulled off her 'pièce de résistance', a seasonal social coup otherwise known as Lynne's silly game which, despite early scepticism, secured her the official title of Ship's Minister for Social Events. An idea she brought from Australia, the 'gift swap' is a game played in the diamond mines to boost morale amongst staff working the Christmas shift.

Contacting every crew member while they were away on leave, she asked everyone to bring back a Christmas gift, extravagantly and creatively wrapped. Despite the fact that Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th, it was a great moment when nearly all the crew turned up on December 25th armed with an array of ridiculous looking presents.

Lynne explains the rules. "Everyone can choose someone to swap their gift with, up to a maximum of three times, but they are also obliged to swap again if another player demands it. Human nature being what it is, everyone angles for the biggest and most exciting looking presents and the aim, as it soon turned out to be on this occasion, is an hilarious wrestling match."

Coming from sturdy seaman stock, Lynne hasn't looked back since swapping her life in Australia's outback for a post as ship's medic. Adds Lynne, "I thought I might be homesick, I found I was seasick, but now after just a few months I'm absolutely converted. I'm part of a really special community and I completely understand why so many people enjoy a maritime lifestyle. From now on, it's definitely a life at sea for me."