Australian Naval History on 11 November 1986

The Shore Establishment HMAS LEEUWIN, (Fremantle, WA), was decommissioned. The base had begun life as a drill hall in Croke Lane, Fremantle, in 1926, and was commissioned on 1 August 1940. LEEUWIN moved to nearby Preston Point in 1942. Following the end of WWII, the base became a training depot for reserves and national servicemen. In 1960 it became the Junior Recruit Training Establishment; a task it carried out for the next 24 years, producing over 12,000 sailors for service in the RAN. The base is now known as Leeuwin Barracks, and provides support for a number of Tri Service units in the Fremantle area