Description

In a neglected area of the Navy’s heritage collection, I was unwrapping a piece of ship memorabilia but found the wrapping so much more fascinating!

It was an old copy of the Navy News dating back to the 1970s with a black & white image of a dear little pup by the name of Tuin. In an oversized sailor’s duck cap with HMAS Coonawarra on the tally band, Tuin was captured for posterity by Lyndon Mechielsen, one of Australia’s most highly respected news and media photographers. Clearly this was no ordinary pooch!

The origin of his name is lost to time as is this darling mascot who featured in a Navy News article more than 50 years ago, but Tuin remains part of the history of HMAS Coonawarra, the Royal Australian Navy base located in Darwin, Northern Territory, home to seven fleet units of the R.A.N.