An Cosantóir

16 CPO PATRICIA O'SULLIVAN Patricia O'Sullivan knew from an early age that she didn't want a 9-to-5 job. But the Cork woman wasn't quite sure what she did want to do with her life. Then one day, at a careers session in her school, Patricia overheard a fellow student ask about an application for the Naval Service. It was a moment that was meant to be and which culminated in Patricia recently becoming the first female Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. "I didn't really like school and I didn't want to work in a shop or an office", Patricia recalls, "I always longed for something different and the Naval Service suited me perfectly. It might seem an unusual choice, especially for a woman, but it was exactly right for me." After that initial interest during the school's careers talk, she was in the Navy within months, at age 17. Twenty-two years of service later, she doesn't regret a minute. "The experiences, the excitement, the different elements of the job – you would not get that anywhere else", says Patricia adding: "It's unique, it's different and that's something I really like, as I always knew I wanted to do something different and I really felt at home in the Naval Service." And what a career she has had. From the fun of taking part in the St Patrick's Day Parade in Savannah – Georgia - as part of a Naval Service unit representing Ireland, even working at NASA, to the more harrowing experience of rescuing migrants from the Mediterranean Sea. "If you are looking for something different, something challenging, something away from the usual 9-to-5, then I would encourage young women to consider the Naval Service. As I and others have learned, women are just as capable of carrying out the duties expected of them as men." She explained that the physical training can be tough but as someone who had always enjoyed sports, Patricia was fit and could handle it all. "So, I actually enjoyed the training." All along the career line, she continued to learn and enjoy all the experiences a life in the Naval Service brought. At an early stage, she was selected for a special training programme: a kind of apprenticeship project involving the then national training body FAS. Part of this involved going to America for three months, which included time in college, then on work experience in utility companies. This included a visit to NASA where Patricia and her colleagues took part in a design and build project. In this case designing and building CPO Patricia O'Sullivan Pictured with her brother Donal, Patricia was just home from the Mediterranean serving on board Le Samuel Beckett 2016 Tony O'Brien By CPO Patricia O'Sullivan Photos by

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