MURWILLUMBAH Anglican priest Father Colin Tett is headed for a massive sea change in his career, which could see him working alongside defence personnel in the Middle East.

Father Colin plans to take up a role as chaplain with the Australian Navy from July 11 in a career move that will take him “full circle” back to his days as a cadet midshipman after he left school in 1975.

“I turned 54 recently and I was thinking what I wanted to do with the rest of my career,” said the parish priest who has worked for banks as well as for God - mostly as a landlubber.

“This will kind of combine the first and last careers in being a Navy Chaplain.

“I joined the navy when I left school and went to the Royal Australian Naval College HMAS Creswell (at Jervis Bay) .

“I was a cadet midshipman but I was out of there before the end of that year and joined the Bank of New South Wales.

“I did an accounting certificate and all kinds of things. Then I went to university and did a Bachelor of Economics.

“It was only after 16, 17 years in the bank, I became a priest 21 years ago.”

Father Colin said he had settled on joining the navy again, this time as a chaplain, because he wanted to work outside the normal boundaries of a parish priest, even though he would miss his flock.

“The people I want to work with are the people who don’t have much to do with the church,” he said.