Archive - Thursday, 9 May 2002


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Mari on parade

A PENARTH woman has completed the first stage of her bid to become a warfare officer with the Royal Navy.

Mari Duffy, 25, of King Street, passed out in Dartmouth after a hectic one year naval course. She is now a sub-lieutenant.

The university graduate has wanted to be in the Royal Navy since she was 14, and has tailored her studies around that goal.

She went to St Cyre's School, where she studied history and politics, before going on to do a sports honours degree in UWIC.

Mari followed that up with a Masters in sports and exercise, again at UWIC, where she was tutored by mum Ceinwen Jackson.

Ceinwen, of Birch Lane, said: "Mari went for the interview and knew she had a place secured in the Royal Navy Officer Training course in 2000, so took a gap year and travelled around the world. Then, she started her course at Britannia Naval College in January 2001.

"There were just three other women granted a place on the same course with Mari. There were no concessions because they were female. They were all expected to keep up with the men, who outnumber the women by about 30 to one."

The course included two months at sea aboard HMS Coventry, operating in UK waters.

But despite the gruelling pace Mari dug her heals in, and was rewarded at the end of the year with the honour of her rank. Ceinwen, and Mari's stepfather Tony Sawyer, travelled to Dartmouth for her passing-out parade just before Christmas 2001.

Sub-lieutenant Duffy is now based in Portsmouth for three months, before her next posting on board a mine sweeper.