A ROYAL Australian Navy chief petty officer stationed at HMAS Cerberus has been awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal for her work overhauling recruit swim training and data collection.
Chief petty officer Michelle Bush received the award as part of the King’s Birthday honours, recognising her contribution to recruit training at the Royal Australian Navy Recruit School since posting there in 2024.
Bush collected and analysed swim-test data to identify trends, track failures and measure how long recruits took to achieve the required standard – work that helped identify common reasons recruits struggled with the initial entry swim test.
“I love data collection and I thought, I can probably make a positive change here using it,” Bush said.
The findings have since informed discussions on how candidates can be better prepared before arriving at the school.
Bush also redesigned the school’s Mission Readiness Evaluation – the final milestone activity recruits complete – by creating a realistic scenario that linked activities and gave recruits a clearer understanding of their purpose. The evaluation tests teamwork, communication, resilience and behaviour through team-based challenges including casualty evacuations, obstacle courses, pool-based problem-solving tasks and force reconnaissance exercises.
She developed a humanitarian scenario set on an island to give each activity a clear operational context.
“It’s much easier to conduct an activity when there’s a ‘why’ attached as opposed to ‘just go do that’,” Bush said.
“I gave it a purpose to explain the why.”
Bush said the most rewarding part of the role was seeing recruits overcome challenges they once thought were impossible, including one recruit who arrived unable to swim.
“There was a guy that came in and literally could not swim,” she said.
“Along with the additional swim training we provided and doing his own training, in his own time, he ended up passing and moving on with his training.”
She described receiving the medal after 25 years of service as humbling and unexpected.
“I was shocked and proud,” Bush said.
“I just want to continue to make a positive difference and leave places better than when I found them.”
First published in the Mornington News – 16 June 2026
