Sailor glad to help community

Although Seaman Jordan Parsons has only served in the ADF for just over 12 months, she is playing a big role in supporting the ADF’s whole-of-government response to Operation COVID-19 Assist.

CAPTION: NSW Police Constable Megan Green and Seaman Jordan Parsons hand out sunscreen to civilians waiting in line for a COVID-19 test at the Wattle Grove Community Centre. Story by Lieutenant Commander John Thompson. Photo by Corporal Dustin Anderson.

Seaman Parsons, of HMAS Kuttabul, has been helping out at a COVID-19 testing clinic at Wattle Grove, in Sydney’s south west, since the ADF boosted its support of the NSW Government’s efforts to control and stop the spread of the virus.

Seaman Parsons said she was glad to do her bit to help the community.

“This is why I serve – to help fellow Australians. Every little bit counts,” she said.

She said the community response had been positive.

“People are very friendly, they wave and say hi.  Some come up and thank us for what we’re doing and how much they appreciate having us around,” Seaman Parsons said.

She is one of 300 Navy, Army and Air Force personnel who are being deployed across Sydney to support state agencies, including police and health, as NSW battles the Delta variant.

She said it was her second time working on the operation.

“Not long after graduating from initial training at HMAS Cerberus, I was sent to the Northern Territory to help with quarantine activities at Darwin Airport and the Howard Springs quarantine facility,” Seaman Parsons said.

She’s due to start her medic training course in September.

Commander of Operation COVID-19 Assist NSW Colonel Warwick Young said Seaman Parsons and her colleagues were making an important contribution to the welfare and safety of people in NSW.

“Seaman Parsons is one of hundreds of great sailors, soldiers and aviators who are working on the COVID-19 frontline. Experienced, capable and professional,” Colonel Young said.

“They are making a difference.”

Since Operation COVID-19 Assist started in March last year, more than 5000 ADF personnel have been deployed in NSW.

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