US sailors clean up Woodridge Burringilly centre for NAIDOC Week

US-Australian relations were ship-shape after sailors from the nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan chipped in for a clean-up south of Brisbane.

US sailors got to touch Australian wildlife when they helped out at the Burringilly Aboriginal Corporation Centre at Woodridge.

US-Australian relations were ship-shape after sailors from the American nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan chipped in and helped clean a Woodridge community centre on Monday.

The 25 sailors used high-powered hoses to clean the roof and walls of the Burringilly Aboriginal Corporation’s community centre ahead of this week’s NAIDOC celebrations.

Ship shape … sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan went to Woodridge Centre Burringilly to help clean up for NAIDOC Week.

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The female sailors picked fresh lavender to bottle for the centre’s Lavender Massage Oil which will be sold at the Murri Markets on July 17. The sailors also mucked in and helped to prepare food for the week of indigenous events.

But it was not all work and no play with the sailors treated to a special Australiana extravaganza which included meeting some of the local reptiles from the Reptile Relocation Awareness program.

Snakes alive ... the sailors get a first-hand account of some of Australia’s wildlife.

US sailors with a snake at the Burringilly Aboriginal Corporation Centre at Woodridge.

A highlight was a performance of traditional aboriginal dancing from The Murri School before everyone enjoyed a taste of life on a US carrier with some cornmeat fritters.

Burringilly staff were also given an exclusive tour of the US carrier, commissioned in 2001, and named after the president who served from 1981 to 1989.

Burringilly staff have hosted sailors from the USS Ronald Reagan before.

Burringilly Community Care is a favourite destination for visiting US navy personnel.

Every time a US carrier of navy ship is in Brisbane port, the centre gets a call from the US Consulate-General office in Sydney offering the help of volunteer sailors.

It was the second time Burringilly had the opportunity to work with USS Ronald Reagan sailors. Burringilly has hosted 10 USS ships since 2015.