Edition 1233 April 15, 2010 LLUCKY UCKY EESCAPESCAPE · 2015-03-16 · Edition 1233 April 15, 2010 Cpl Sandra Baulch LLUCKY UCKY EESCAPESCAPE FIRST FORUM FOR WOUNDED DIGGERS Cpl Bradley

Edition 1233 April 15, 2010

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LUCKY LUCKY ESCAPEESCAPE

FIRST FORUM FOR WOUNDED DIGGERS

Cpl Bradley Bendeich reflects on the findings of the coronial inquest into the explosion aboard SIEV 36. He was one of nine ADF members and 49 asylum

seekers on the vessel when a deliberate act by one or more civilians caused

the blast which killed five Afghans and seriously injured dozens more.

Report: Page 2Photo by AB James Whittle

P3

2 NEWS Army April 15, 2010

DirectorRod Horan: (02) 6265 4650

EditorialEditorDavid Edlington: (02) 6266 7609Deputy EditorSharon Palmer: (02) 6266 7612Reporters:Sgt Andrew Hetherington: (02) 6266 7614Sgt Brian Hartigan: (02) 6265 2151Cpl Jane Ashby-Cliffe: (02) 6266 7606Cpl Zenith King: (02) 6266 7608Sydney photographer:Bill Cunneen: 0402 155 220

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Submission guidelinesArmy welcomes submissions of articles and photographs. Contributors should take note of the following guidelines:Articles: Must be Word documents and about 400 words. The story should cover the five Ws and one H – who, what, where, when, why and how. Avoid jargon and the overuse of acronyms. Always include the ranks, names and job titles of people mentioned in the article.Photographs: Must be sent electronically in a JPEG format. Set digital camera to highest quality setting so the photo will be printable. Every photo must be accompanied by details of who is pictured, what the event was, when and where the photo was taken and who took it.

DisclaimerArmy is published fortnightly by Defence Newspapers. It is printed under contract by Capital Fine Print. The material published is selected for its interest. The views expressed in published articles are not necessarily those of Defence or Army. Every advertisement is subject to Directorate of Defence Newspapers approval and the Directorate of Defence Newspapers may, at its discretion, refuse to accept an advertisement. The Directorate accepts no responsibility or liability in relation to any loss due to the failure of an advertisement to appear or if it appears in a form which is not in accordance with the instructions received by the Directorate of Defence Newspapers. The fact that an advertisement is accepted for publication does not mean that the product or service has the endorsement of the Department of Defence or Army.

The Soldiers’ Newspaper

Face of Army

Gallipoli-bound: Cpl Sandra Baulch, Australia’s Federation Guard, will travel to Gallipoli for Anzac Day. Photo by PO David Connolly

By Capt Joe Nyhan

WITH the coronial inquest com-plete, the amazing story can finally be told about an Army MP who played a central role in the events last April on board a boat – filled with asylum seekers – that exploded near Ashmore Island killing five Afghans and seriously injuring dozens of others.

Cpl Bradley Bendeich, who originally enlisted in the Army in 2003 as a medic, was part of Transit Security Element (TSE) 52 and attached to Ardent Four – the crew of HMAS Childers. The East Timor veteran joined the patrol boat a week before it intercepted Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel 36 and he was part of a steaming party providing security on the wooden vessel when a deliberate act by one or more of the civilians on board caused the explosion.

Described by Ardent Four CO Leut-Cmdr Brett Westcott as an impressive and professional soldier, Cpl Bendeich integrated quickly into the patrol boat crew alongside the regular Navy personnel and other members of TSE 52 drawn from RAAF.

“Working on the patrol boat was a real eye-opener,” Cpl Bendeich said. “It’s not like sea patrol, but I felt a part of the crew and I enjoyed fitting in with the lifestyle on board.”

He was on board SIEV 36 for eight hours leading up to the blast. After ADF personnel smelt petrol fumes and saw an Afghan man act-ing suspiciously with a cigarette lighter at the bow of the vessel, Cpl Bendeich and PO Thomas Dawe went forward and wrestled with the man to confiscate the lighter.

Both ADF members then returned to the middle of the boat, an action that might have saved their lives. When giving evidence to the Northern Territory Coroner, Cpl Bendeich said he was trying to move people forward for security reasons when the vessel exploded.

“I was just about to take a step onto the deck when there was a whooshing sound. My left foot, it fell out from under me. I remember having to … manoeuvre or kick my foot. Flames were coming up into my face.”

As well as being burnt, he suf-fered an ankle fracture. Some of the nine ADF members and 49 others on board the vessel had been blown off or began jumping into the water.

Survivors have spoken of the screams coming from the water

and of the panic among the civilians. Cpl Bendeich told the Coroner that although he was one of a few who managed to remain standing as the SIEV disintegrated and flames began to engulf the vessel, he was nonetheless stunned by the explosion.

“I was pretty sure it was PO Dawe yelling at me to get in the water, because I was a bit dazed at that point. And so I jumped in the water, not far from the boat and went under the water a bit and inflated my life vest. There were people clambering for the debris, swimming towards the debris.”

Despite his injuries, he had the presence of mind to begin swim-ming away from the burning SIEV, which others later said they feared could have exploded again. He reached a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) from HMAS Childers that was already rescuing people, but he was not yet safe.

“Initially I went to the side of the RHIB and I was trying to get in. [The RHIB crew] were busy getting other people in. They were yelling ‘kick, kick’. I’m going, ‘my leg’s buggered, I can’t get in’. ”

As he was 20kg heavier in his

boarding gear, the RHIB crew directed him to the back of the boat, which sits lower in the water, where they were able to pull him in.

After being offloaded on the transom at the rear of HMAS Childers, Cpl Bendeich, unable to walk, dragged himself up the rail-ing of the stairs with the assistance of crew members. In what might be considered the understatement of the year, once on the quarterdeck of the patrol boat and while still trying to make sense of what had just occurred during his very first boarding operation, Cpl Bendeich said dryly, “I wasn’t expecting that to happen!”.

But there was no time for reflection. Screams could be heard coming from the water and already there were a number of injured Afghan men sprawled across the Childers quarterdeck. Despite being the most seriously injured of all ADF members that day, Cpl Bendeich began remov-ing his equipment, his first thought being to assist in the first aid effort already under way for others.

“I noticed there were already PIIs (potential illegal immigrants) on board the boat being attended to. I was basically told to sit there.

I started getting my gear off and I made some attempts to get up and walk, to go back and help. I was told, ‘No, you’re going straight into the ward room’.”

Due to his injur ies , Cpl Bendeich played no further active part in the extraordinary rescue and medivac operation which followed over the next day-and-a-half.

Both patrol boats were more than a day’s sail away from the closest hospital in Darwin.

Cpl Bendeich was among the dozens of ADF members and civil-ians treated around the clock by dedicated Navy and Air Force crew mates, whose efforts ensured no person who was pulled alive from the water died en route to hospital.

A corrections officer before joining the Army, he is now serving with the Domestic Policing Unit at Robertson Barracks. He hasn’t been turned off going to sea and won’t rule out the opportunity to serve again with a TSE.

“I’d like to get back on the horse. Dealing with the people on board the SIEVs is actually a lot easier than dealing with inmates in a prison or many of the other things I currently do day-to-day.”

MP lucky to survive blast

Big picture: HMAS Albany closes in on the scene as Navy RHIBs rescue survivors from the water after an explosion aboard SIEV 36 north of Ashmore Island. Injured survivors are treated by Navy and RAAF personnel onboard HMAS Childers after the explosion (above) and Cpl Bradley Bendeich reflects on the disaster (left).

CA Lt-Gen Ken Gillespie has called for financial vigilance from mem-bers as the Defence Strategic Reform Program (SRP) swings into effect.

Defence Minister John Faulkner announced on Apri l 7 tha t the Government had endorsed the imple-mentation plan for the SRP. The program aims to save $20 billion over the next decade to reinvest in Defence capability.

In his latest Order of the Day, Lt-Gen Gillespie said the SRP would have “major impacts on the Army”.

“In the years ahead we will need to apply our highest standards of care, rigour and discipline to planning and

executing the changes that it represents,” he said.

He directed all personnel to critically examine their areas of responsibility for waste and inefficiencies, and start the changes that are within their powers to make.

“Each of us must look at how we work and find ways to do it smarter and better,” he said. “In many instances this will mean individuals changing long-held habits and behaviours. This is no small task and for many it may be an uncomfortable process.”

Senator Faulkner said the SRP was designed to produce a stronger, more agile and harder-hitting Defence Force.

FIVE Mentoring Task Force 1 soldiers, an Afghan interpreter and two Afghan troops were wounded in Afghanistan’s Mirabad Valley region between March 27-31.

On March 31, an MTF 1 soldier was wounded when his patrol was engaged by small-arms fire. He was later aeromedically evacuated. On March 28, an Australian soldier received slight wounds and an Afghan inter-preter was seriously wounded by an IED.

On Saturday March 27, three Australian and two ANA soldiers were wounded in separate IED blasts. Two Australians and the Afghans received slight wounds and the other Australian suffered minor wounds. One of the patrols detained two men suspected to have been involved in one of the IED attacks.

Twenty Australian soldiers have been wounded in Afghanistan this year.

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NEWS 3Army April 15, 2010

By Sgt Brian Hartigan

WOUNDED and seriously injured diggers from across Australia brought family and carers to Canberra on March 29 to discuss issues surrounding their care.

CA Lt-Gen Ken Gillespie con-vened the first Wounded Diggers’ Forum to gain feedback from affect-ed Army personnel, their spouses and parents.

Ministers John Faulkner and Greg Combet addressed the forum and fielded at times emotion-charged questions.

Lt-Gen Gillespie told the sol-diers their rehabilitation and welfare was a high priority for Defence’s leaders. He said the advent of reha-bilitation for wounded and seriously injured members within Defence was not new, but over the past few years Army had been re-learning how best to manage it and mistakes and oversights were inevitable.

“What we’re dealing with here are pretty monumental changes for all of us and, if you look at how big, old and staid the Army is, it is a very big deal for all concerned,” he said.

“Two years ago, all of you dig-gers here today would have been processed, patched up and handed over to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs – but gone. Today, there’s a huge wave of change in this area and, while it hasn’t hit the beach yet, when it does crash down, many people will have to take notice.”

In the meantime, Army is getting on with looking after its own.

DGPers-A Brig Gerard Fogarty said that because the CA was so far forward with his thinking, policy areas were trying hard to catch up.

“There are some disconnects because we don’t yet have an actual policy in many areas,” Brig Fogarty said. “The Chief can’t actually change the policy on medical clas-sifications overnight. It is a joint process and what the Chief wants to achieve will take time, but we have to move forward in Army as if the policy has already been changed.”

Looking after own

Lt-Gen Gillespie said he saw rehabilitation for wounded and injured troops as a moral respon-sibility. “We are putting our troops in 21st century harm and I think it’s time our policies caught up with that,” he said.

Defence Minister John Faulkner agreed, saying “it isn’t good enough for us to simply say that we owe you a debt of gratitude for the things that happened to you because of the things we asked you to do”.

“I don’t think there’s a higher priority for any government of any political colour at the moment than to see you get the rehab and care you need,” he said.

Sgt Michael Lyddiard, wound-ed in an IED blast in Afghanistan, pointed out that while he and many others desperately wanted to remain in service with the Army, doing so was actually hurting his family.

“For my sake, I want to prove to myself and to everyone else that I am still a proud and capable sol-dier,” Sgt Lyddiard said.

“But the reality is, my fam-ily would be far better off if I took medical discharge and took all the entitlements I would qualify for under Vet Affairs. To do that, how-ever, makes no sense for me and

makes no sense for either Army or the Australian taxpayer.”

Brig Fogarty said he recognised there was a gap in the conditions available to serving members and those available through Veterans’ Affairs. “We will take that on board and sort it out,” he said.

DCA Maj-Gen Paul Symon said the ADF had started the wounded-digger program with a system that had members discharged almost as soon as they were wounded and it would take time and require patience to get it right.

“This forum has been nine hours of intense discussion and emotive issues that I know were draining on all of you,” Maj-Gen Symon said.

“While we recognised that was a danger in running this forum, not running it was not an option. We simply had to hear about the issues from the people most affected by those issues.”

WO2 Dennis Ramsay, who lost both legs to illness, said while deep emotion was inevitable at such a forum and while there was a lot of discussion around specific short-comings, the overwhelming con-sensus was that the new direction in looking after wounded and injured soldiers was much appreciated.

Forum a first for wounded diggers

By Sgt Brian Hartigan

A NEW welfare pack specifically for wounded Australians in military hospitals overseas was revealed at the Wounded Diggers’ Forum.

Appropriately named after the man famed for offering comfort to diggers on the battlefield, the Simpson Pack delivers basic essen-tials such as socks, jocks, clothing, toiletries, a telephone charge card and writing material.

Armyshop put the pack together at Lt-Gen Ken Gillespie’s request in response to an emotional let-ter from Pte Jeffrey Chapman. Pte Chapman’s sergeant sent the letter to the CA in its draft form.

“Because it was a first draft, this letter contained raw emotion and vernacular you probably wouldn’t

Pack has comforts of home

expect in a letter to the Chief, but it was all the more powerful because of it,” Lt-Gen Gillespie said.

“And it covered an area that seems obvious once it’s pointed out to you. Our soldiers generally have their uniforms cut off them when they are first treated in front-line medical facilities, and then suffer

the indignity of travelling naked through the medical system.”

Pte Chapman and other Australians received American wel-fare packs after being wounded.

Sgt Michael Lyddiard said the most poignant item in his US wel-fare pack was a handwritten letter from a six-year-old telling him he was a hero and his sacrifice was appreciated.

“That tore a hole in my soul,” he said.

One soldier at the forum said “anything with the rising sun on it would be good, so that we could display our Aussie pride.”

All the major items in the Simpson Pack are branded with large rising-sun badges.

Twenty-five Simpson Packs are already on their way to Afghanistan.

Essentials: Inclusions in pack.

OPERATION Care has helped more than 20 ADF families on the road to recovery since the program’s inception in 2006.

Designed to assist wounded Defence personnel and their immediate families, Operation Care offers a week-long holiday in a location of their choice throughout Australia. It covers the cost of airfares, accommodation and some living expenses.

The program also provides a respite for the spouse and immediate family of a member killed in action or as a result of enemy action.

The program is funded and admin-istered by the RSL and Services Clubs Association and relies solely on dona-tions.

For further information, visit www.rslservicesclub.com.au and click on the Operation Care button.

The best of care is availableHistoric gathering: CA Lt-Gen Ken Gillespie and participants in the inaugural Wounded Diggers’ Forum. Photo by Sgt Brian Hartigan

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Exhilarating: Sig Sarah Cashman, 1CSR, sets off with Shawn Giles of Team Suzuki (left). Team Tiger meets Jorden Burgess and Jamie Stauffer (above). Cpl Samuel Bovington, 1 Armd Regt, prepares for his lap (below). Photos by LS Helen Frank

Thrillseekers get ride of their livesBy Capt Lachlan Simondand Simona Di Toro-Bell

WITH Darwin in the grip of super-bike fever, Robertson Barracks host-ed a special meeting of two teams responsible for two different pieces of European hi-tech design.

Tigers from 1 Avn Regt and machines from the Ducati superbike team were on show for media on April 7 ahead of the Australian Superbike Championships round in Darwin from April 9-11.

“There is a fantastic parallel here,” said 1 Avn Regt CO Lt-Col John Fenwick. “We have two highly profes-sional teams operating state-of-the-art equipment. Both teams rely on highly skilled and motivated maintainers and support crews, allowing the pilots and riders to be the equal of the best in the world at what they do.”

The Ducati maintainers and support crew inspected the Tigers and spoke with Army personnel, who in turn checked out the superbikes and talked with the riders and crews.

Meanwhile, some ADF members had the chance to go for a ride as pillion on the Superbikes, which cost $50,000, weigh 170kg and can reach speeds of more than 300km/h.

They experienced the “hot laps” at Darwin’s Hidden Valley track as priz-es in a raffle that raised funds for the Leukaemia Foundation and the RSPCA.

Sig Sarah Cashman, 1CSR, was one of the first to take a ride with current Superbike No. 1 rider Josh Waters on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.

She was shaking as she climbed off the bike and struggled to remove her gloves and helmet.

“I was holding on so tight and found the corners so scary. I never thought that I would get a chance like this – ever,” Sig Cashman said.

Cpl Samuel Bovington, 1 Armd Regt, said his ride with Honda’s Glenn Allerton was “simply exhilarating”.

“I have been deployed to Afghanistan and done a lot of things, but I have to say that this is the most fun I have ever had,” he said.

The Commanding Offi cer, LTCOL James Murray, cordially invites friends and family both past and present to celebrate the 50th Birthday of the 1st Signal Regiment.

To mark this auspicious occasion, the following events will take place on 05 June 2010 at Gallipoli Barracks:

0900h – 1000h Regimental Parade with the Princess Anne Banner

1100h – 1400h Regimental Open Day

1930h – 0100h Regimental Ball (Entry by ticket only)

1st SIGNAL REGIMENT 50th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

05 JUNE 2010There will be plenty of entertainment for children and adults alike including a bouncy castle, face painting, BBQ, kid’s assault course and much more throughout the day.

Mark out your diary for 05 June 2010 and come along and have a great day! I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, for further details or information on any of the events listed above please contact either;

CAPT Mike Armstrong on 07 3332 6463 ([email protected]) or

WO1 (RSM) Danny Smith on 07 3332 6260([email protected]) Many thanks.


By Sgt Andrew Hetherington

ON MARCH 16 a 5CSSB soldier was given news his family had been waiting on for more than 93 years.

Cpl Dan Irving, the unit finance clerk, received a call from members of the Fromelles project confirming his great uncle, Pte Allan William James Irving, was identified as one of the 250 soldiers found in the World War I Pheasant Wood gravesite at Fromelles in France.

“I wasn’t really shocked when I found out, but it was a nice feeling to be able to finally know what happened to him and he’ll now have a grave,” Cpl Irving said.

The children of Pte Irving’s young-er brother had provided DNA samples as part of the identification process.

Pte Irving joined the Army in July 1915 aged 20 in Adelaide as the news of Gallipoli began to filter back to Australia.

“He served as a rifleman in A Coy, 32nd Bn, after leaving his book-bind-ing apprenticeship, where he’d fin-ished eight years of a nine-year term,” Cpl Irving said.

“Allan’s brother Bert had served in and survived Gallipoli with the 27th Bn and this was one of the reasons Allan joined too.”

Until now, the family had been uncertain of Pte Irving’s fate.

“The family knew he was in the Battle of Fromelles, knew his battalion was surrounded and were told he was listed missing in action,” he said.

“Then the family also heard he was unofficially listed as a POW, but there was a mix up with the German records and the Red Cross.”

Then the Red Cross informed Bert it had “no definite news” of Pte Irving but had information that “his name appeared on a German death list ... and his identity disc was in German hands”.

The family still hoped there was a chance Allan had survived. His fiancée

Long wait over at last

even waited for him for seven years before she moved on with her life.

“It was sad, they contacted hospi-tals hoping he was injured and didn’t remember who he was,” Cpl Irving said.

“His mother would also go to the cinema and watch war newsreels hop-ing she would spot him in them.

“It destroyed the family, with his brother Bert becoming an alcoholic, turning into a recluse and dying an early death in 1944.”

His mother even purchased a house for him in Adelaide with his Army pay thinking he would have a place to live when he came back.

Cpl Irving’s grandmother Hilda, who is now 94, lived in the house at Kingston Park in Adelaide until she moved into a nursing home.

Cpl Irving stayed in the house dur-ing school holidays when he was grow-ing up and spent a lot of time with Pte Irving’s two sisters, Lil and Hazel, who died six years ago aged in their late 90s.

“They helped me with my research into Allan and they gave me the photos of him, his other bits and pieces and told me stories,” he said.

“Their last memories of him were when they were about 10 years old, recalling how he’d come home from work at the government printing office. He would ask his mother if she’d fed his sisters after they picked the food from his plate at dinner.”

His great uncle’s life influenced Cpl Irving in two ways. “Learning about

him inspired me to join the Army and I’ve named my six-year-old after him, James Allan William Irving.”

He would like to attend the July 19 commemorative service at Fromelles, but a lack of money might stop him from getting there. “I’d love to get there before I die and I’d like to take my family to France to see his grave.”

More names of soldiers found in the mass grave at Pheasant Wood will be issued after the final Fromelles identification board sits in May.

Memories: Cpl Dan Irving, above, flicks through an album of Pte Allan Irving’s photos (his great uncle) while holding a plaque sent to Pte Irving’s family after his death at Fromelles. Pictured right are Pte Irving and the death plaque. Photos by Sgt Andrew Hetherington

DEFENCE’S ministerial team has a new look with the swear-ing-in on April 1 of Alan Griffin as Defence Personnel Minister in addition to his responsibilities as Veterans’ Affairs Minister.

Greg Combet will retain port-folio responsibility for Defence Materiel and Science.

As the senior Minister, John Faulkner has overall responsibil-ity for all matters covered by the Defence portfolio.

Mr Griffin’s Defence Personnel responsibilities will encompass personnel policy, including work-force planning, recruitment and retention, pay and superannua-

tion, equity and diversity policy, personnel support, housing policy and health.

Respons ib i l i t i es remain-ing with Mr Combet are: DMO, DSTO and specific capabil-ity responsibilities including over-sight of DMO involvement in the capability approval process.

Griffin joins Defence ministerial team

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By Andrew Stackpool

TWO Army members are among the largest group of female officers to attend the Basic Flying Training School (BFTS) at Tamworth, NSW.

Lt Erin Pedrick and OCdt Stephanie White started the ADF 38 basic pilots’ course on February 18 along with three other females – A/Sub-Leut Samantha Gilan, Plt-Off Jacqueline Baird and Plt-Off Emily Thorvaldsson.

Lt Pedrick studied at the Australian National University in Canberra for two years before enlisting in the Army. She had no previous flying experience, but is keen to fly the MRH 90, with the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter as the alternative.

“I was always interested in flying but never pursued it till now,” she said.

“The course is fairly busy and it’s a steep learning curve.

“Some of the subjects in the ground phase were easier than others but the most difficult thing is finding ways to manage my time between the different study subjects and preparing for fly-ing.”

OCdt Whi te , who hopes to fly Chinooks or the MRH 90, has a Bachelor of Education from Melbourne University and spent 3½ years teaching before enlisting.

“I always had an interest in the mili-tary. Army offered me the most oppor-tunities and I preferred flying rotary-winged aircraft,” she said.

“The workload so far is high, but I had expected that as I had spoken to pilots at Oakey.”

On graduation, both women will be posted to the Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey for helicopter conver-sion training.

The trainee pilots have completed the six-week ground component of the 25-week course and started flying at the end of March. On average they should undertake nine dual flights and go solo on their 10th.

The BFTS is responsible for all pilot basic training for the ADF.

CO BFTS Wg-Cmdr Mark Smith said “it is very encouraging to see such a large percentage of females on the course”.

Women eye pilot’s seat

Aileron inspired: OCdt Stephanie White, Lt Erin Pedrick, A/Sub-Leut Samantha Gilan, Plt-Off Jacqueline Baird and Plt-Off Emily Thorvaldsson at the Basic Flying Training School.

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By Maj Matt Grant

“I’m a Townsville digger in Afghan-istan – I’m an Australian boy. Tell the kids I’ll be home soon – I’m an Australian boy.”

WITH RM Williams’ ostrich-hide boots tapping the beat, a jet-black Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar swinging as he hits the chords, country favourite and 2008 Australian of the Year Lee Kernaghan is singing his heart out, trying to be heard over the rotors of two Black Hawks hovering behind him.

With the sun setting, licks of colour are lighting the west-ern Queensland sky as Kernaghan walks across the tarmac of the Army Aviation Training Centre (AAvnTC) at Oakey to where the aircrew are shutting the helicopters down.

A quick chat – some words of thanks for the part they have played in his latest video – and then the country legend is off to prepare for the evening’s main shoot in front of aircraft inside a hangar.

“It’s just such an honour to be on the base and to receive the support that we have from the AAvnTC,” he said. “It’s also been an education; visiting the Museum of Australian Army Flying was an incredible expe-rience and hearing about the role this airfield played in World War II.”

Kernaghan said he derived inspi-

Songbird lands in Oakey

On song: Country music star and former Australian of the Year Lee Kernaghan hits his stride during the filming of his latest music video at the Army Aviation Training Centre, Oakey. Photo by Spr Campbell Myers

ration for his songs from the peo-ple he met as he travelled around Australia. One of those meetings led to the creation of Australian Boy, which features on his latest CD, Planet Country.

“I was speaking with Col Shane Gabriel, who was commanding sol-diers in Afghanistan over Christmas 2008, and started thinking about our men and women in uniform and their sacrifices, with the amount of time

they are spending away from home and loved ones,” he said. “It was about then the idea for the song real-ly took hold.”

Deputy Commandant AAvnTC Lt-Col Tim Witenden said the chance to participate in the filming was too good to pass up.

“Lee’s a great Australian and this offers a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase what it is we do here to an audience that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach,” he said.

“We accomplished all the crews’ requirements without having to go outside our existing training pro-gram, and the result is a testament to the work being completed by the men and women of AAvnTC.”

It’s not the first time Kernaghan has had a short stint in uniform.

“In 1988 we were flown around the country in Caribous as part of the Pass the Hat Around tour, which raised more than $1 million for country towns in need of support for things like medical equipment, and repairs after bushfires,” he said.

“We did it again in 2000, and the ADF’s help was integral to the tour.”

He said he was looking forward to singing Australian Boy on the 2010 Planet Country tour.

“I hope when people hear the song and see the video that they’ll take a moment to remember our troops at home and serving overseas, their dedication, and the sacrifices they make on behalf of our country.”

WIN THE CD Army has two copies of Planet Country to give away. To enter, email your name and contact details to [email protected]. Please ensure the email subject line includes the words “Australian Boy”. Entries close April 30.

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Check your bootsSOLE separation on particular batches of the patent leather boots was identi-fied late last year. The final delivery of re-stitched boots to all clothing stores is now complete. The process for exchang-ing a pair of affected boots is simple – go to your local clothing store with the boots and request a one-for-one exchange. There is no need for paperwork just remember to bring your boots. Also, a reminder that if your boots don’t have a

batch code on them then they will not be exchanged and members should utilise UMA to purchase another pair.

As Anzac Day is nearly upon us, please check your boots and if you have an unstitched pair with the batch codes 100619, 100626, 100627, 100628, 100629, 100632, 100633 or 100634, exchange them now. If you find your boots may have the potential for sole separa-tion, but they are outside these codes, then the normal RODUM process applies.

By LCpl Glenn Power

TPR John Hallett has turned his love of timber into an award-winning, wood-turning Italian odyssey which has seen him depart on a nine-month escapade in northern Italy.

Tpr Hallett, Light Cavalry Scout 3/9 LH, won the annual Italian Centre Design Award for excellence by creat-ing an object which celebrates the Italian passion for food and wine. His antipasto platter in New Guinea Wau Beech was a gallery stopper.

Tpr Hallett, who left the country on March 20, said wood-turning was some-thing a lot of people did as a hobby.

“I want to take it out of the backyard shed and push the boundaries of what’s conventional – I suppose I want to put a Gen Y spin on an ancient 1300BC craft,” Tpr Hallett said.

“The other good thing about turning wood as a form of craftsmanship is you can see a result for your work immedi-ately. Your thoughts take shape in the wood and the changes are extraordinarily sudden from raw materials into a beauti-ful piece of art.”

Joining the reserves in December 2003, Tpr Hallett studied industrial design at the University of South Australia before joining a furniture workshop at the Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide.

He is now an Associate Designer/Creator at the Jam Factory.

On his all-expense paid jaunt to Italy, Tpr Hallett plans to visit the glassblowing centre in Murano to learn how to make timber moulds for glassblowing.

“It’s a skill that would complement my practice and it would be very useful to other artists at the Jam Factory,” he said.

“I just can’t wait to have the time to contemplate Murano, and its stunning islands, all inked by magnificent bridges in the historic Venetian Lagoon.

“I’ve previously travelled to Europe as a tourist but I am really looking forward to experiencing what it’s like to live and immerse yourself in a foreign culture.”

Tpr Hallett’s food-safe platter, finished in Danish oil, was designed with commu-nal feasting in mind and the award-win-ning piece measures twice the size of the platter pictured.

After nine months overseas, Tpr Hallett said he will be keen to return home to his mates.

“It’s going to be great to get home and show the guys all my pictures and give them drum about all my comings and goings,” he said.

It seems Tpr Hallett performs at his best at all times which is clearly demon-strated by the framed commendation in the units hallway, Tpr John Hallett, Cadre Staff Award for Best Light Horse Soldier 2008.

Turning a hobby into an odyssey

Cut above rest: Tpr John Hallet with one of his platters. Tpr Hallet’s wood-turning ability has earned him a nine-month stint in northern Italy. Photo by LCpl Glenn Power

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No rest for 100 soldiersBy Michael Brooke

WHILE many soldiers clocked off for a well deserved Easter holiday break, more than 100 reservists from 5 Bde deployed to Solomon Islands.

From Sydney and southern and central NSW, they form the 21st rotation of soldiers on Operation Anode.

Commander 5 Bde Brig Paul Brereton farewelled them at a parade at Lavarack Barracks on March 29.

The highly skilled contingent includes reservists from a diverse range of civilian occupations, includ-ing police, public servants, trades-men and school teachers.

Operations officer Maj Brian Willsher said the personnel had an exceptional opportunity to combine their civilian and military skills to produce positive effects for the local population.

“During the four-month deploy-ment the soldiers will carry out street and provincial patrols and other designated tasks in support of the Participating Police Forces and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in Solomon Islands,” he said.

In preparation for the deploy-ment, the contingent completed six weeks of intensive training that included a certification exercise at Cowley Beach Training Area.

Brig Brereton said reservists continued to make an important con-tribution to Op Anode.

Song and dance: Australian and Tongan soldiers perform a traditional greeting during the farewell parade for 100 soldiers from 5 Bde at Lavarack Barracks on March 29. Photo by LCpl Mark Doran

By WO2 Graham McBean

A YEAR of hard work and commit-ment earned LCpl Matthew Hutchins the accolade of National Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps Soldier of the Year.

LCpl Hutchins, then a private, stepped up to the role of CQMS at A Coy 8/7RVR first in 2008 when the ser-geant CQMS fell sick with long-term illness and again throughout 2009.

The 8/7RVR operator supply won the award late last year.

LCpl Hutchins said he was only try-ing to do his job as best he could.

“I was shocked with the award and the extent and scale of the award is only just starting to set in,” he said.

“It is nice to have your work recog-nised but I was only trying to do my job and it turned out I was doing something right.”

It is an exceptional honour for a reserve soldier to be named the best sol-dier in the corps.

QM 8/7RVR WO1 Martin Griggs nominated LCpl Hutchins and said he acted decisively, made sound judgements and accepted other responsibilities when he could.

WO1 Griggs said LCpl Hutchins displayed “excellent organisational skills” evident by his ability to address all requirements for moving stores and equipment and organising work parties.

He said LCpl Hutchins was responsi-ble for the company Q stores at Laverton, Warrnambool and Geelong along with training of the soldiers (privates and cor-porals) working for him.

“He is the model of a dedicated mem-ber of the ADF reserve and the standards he displays are the bench mark for other reserve soldiers of the unit to strive to emulate,” WO1 Griggs said.

Reservist honoured

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By Fiona van der Plaat

THE future of many veterans’ health care could depend on what the Defence Military Health Outcomes Program (MilHOP) finds when it turns the microscope on tens of thousands of personnel who have been, and will be, deployed to the Middle East.

A survey of all members who have served in the Middle East and ongoing pre- and post-deployment physiological tests on future MEAO deployed person-nel will be the key to proving a crucial link between illness and deployment.

Professor Sandy McFarlane, princi-pal investigator for the MilHOP studies, says nailing down scientific evidence of this link is critical, both for help-ing veterans who believe deployment has affected their health and for finding ways of preventing such illness.

“The best evidence comes from stud-ies that begin as close as possible to the deployments of interest, so that is why a major study of the MEAO deployments is about to begin,” he said.

Prof McFarlane, from the Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health at the University of Adelaide, was also a scientific adviser on studies done after the first Gulf War. He said researchers hoped to discern just how mental and physical factors worked “hand in glove” on the immediate and long-term health of deployed personnel.

While psychological conditions, such

as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can arise from deployment, Prof McFarlane said researchers would look at how prolonged exposure to high levels of stress could disorganise a per-son’s physiology, particularly the ability to fight infection.

Physical and environmental factors specific to the Middle East deployments – mild traumatic brain injury from blasts and the respiratory effects of constant exposure to dust, for instance – will also be investigated.

Prof McFarlane said the MilHOP studies would build on knowledge gained from past investigations, such as those from the Gulf War, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and East Timor and would take a leaf from modern analyses of elite athletes.

“Work done with Olympic athletes has shown that improving performance depends on careful scientific studies of physiological and psychological fac-tors,” Prof McFarlane said.

And this is why well members are just as important to the MilHOP studies as people with health concerns. “If you are a fit and healthy member of the ADF, you might think such studies have no relevance to you,” he said.

“But the best way to help your mates is for you to be involved. We need to understand what keeps people healthy just as much as we need to find what exposures make people sick.”

WHILE the Defence workforce might be young and healthy, trauma expert Professor Sandy McFarlane said the ADF was fac-ing the reality that military service exposes people to particular risks to both mental and physical health.

“Dealing with this is very impor-tant if it is to maintain the perform-ance of its members,” the chief investigator for the ADF MilHOP studies said.

MilHOP researchers will start identifying the risks for military per-sonnel by looking for a “baseline measure” of ADF health in a sur-vey to run in conjunction with the MEAO health studies. This study will look at personnel with military service other than in the MEAO.

Dr Alan Verhagen, a research fellow for the Defence Directorate of Mental Health, is overseeing the survey and said it would analyse the health and wellbeing – and, ulti-

mately, medical needs – of up to 30,000 personnel.

“I would not consider we had fin-ished the job until we had written reports the department can use to tailor resources to all of its people,” he said.

Dr Verhagen said the results would allow comparisons not only between genders, services, roles and ranks within Defence, but with the general population (using results from national surveys).

Middle East under the microscope

Program to determine overall health of deployed personnel

Study to analyse well-being of ADF

Future diagnosis: Deployed soldiers will play a vital role in a service-wide health study. Here Australian and Afghan soldiers patrol in the Baluchi Valley in Afghanistan. Photo by Sgt Mick Davis

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Career opportunityBecome a Military ReporterArmy newspaper is taking applications from soldiers interested in becoming a Military Reporter.

Army reporters cover a range of ADF activities from peacekeeping and humanitarian operations to exercises and war-fighting operations.

Applicants must have completed the Junior Leaders’ Course as a minimum requirement and be AIRN compliant.

For more information contact:

The Editor, David EdlingtonPhone (02) 6266 7609 or email [email protected]

AHQ team takes to track


LAVARACK Barracks will ben-efit from two new health facilities, named after the courageous contri-butions of Army medical staff.

The JJ Davis Health Facility and Alfred Sutton Health Facility were officially opened at a ceremony held on March 25 at Lavarack Barracks.

The facilities became operational in mid-2009, replacing the RAPs of 3CSSB, 10FSB, 4 Fd Regt, 3CER, and B Sqn, 3/4 Cav Regt.

Defence Materiel and Science Minister Greg Combet said the facil-ities were part of the Government’s commitment to providing ADF members with world-class health facilities and support.

“These facilities are designed to provide primary health support to 2200 personnel. The approximate cost of the two facilities was $7.2 million and construction took about nine months,” Mr Combet said.

The facilities will provide essen-tial medical support across the bar-racks, developed in conjunction with the $207.2 million Lavarack Barracks Redevelopment Stage 4 project, set for completion by 2011.

The Alfred Sutton Health Facility will provide primary health care to units on the eastern end of the barracks and the JJ Davis Health Facility the western end. Units sup-ported will include 3 Bde, 11 Bde and 17 Bde.

Accompanied by h i s son Michael, John Davis, 65, unveiled the plate bearing his name at the JJ Davis Health Facility, as did the family descendants of Col Sutton at

A COMBINED team of 21 military and civilian personnel from AHQ participated in the Canberra Relay for Life on March 26-27, raising more than $6600 for Cancer Council Australia.

The Relay for Life is one of the world’s largest annual fundraising events, hosted in 20 countries, for cancer support, education and research.

Teams of 10 or more were challenged to keep their baton moving in a relay-style walk or run for 24 con-secutive hours.

AHQ Team Captain Lt-Col Phil Gibbons said a ros-ter was developed to help keep the team on the track.

“It is an event that has tremendous community spirit and support. Many of the team members brought their families along to support them while they circu-lated around the 400m track,” Lt-Col Gibbons said.

The AHQ team completed 571 laps of the track which came to a total distance of 228.4km.

Notable efforts included Lt-Col Paul Robards who ran 24km while WO1 Kim Blackwell-Woodford, WO1 Leanne Iseppi and Maj Rebecca Talbot tackled the midnight to 3am shift in fairy costumes.

Health boost for Lavarack

the Alfred Sutton Health Facility. While serving in Vietnam with 3RAR in 1968, then corporal Davis was awarded the Military Medal for courage and devotion to duty for treating casualties under enemy fire. Mr Davis retired from the Army in 1986 as WO1 RSM of 1 Mil Hospital.

Col Sutton, who died in 1922, was represented by his granddaugh-ter, Candace Sutton, and great-grandson, Jonathan Swan.

Col Sutton was Principal Medical Officer, 1 MD, from 1909-1922 and commanded 3 Fd Ambulance, the first medical unit to land at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, in support of 3 Bde.

It was with Col Sutton’s approval that Pte John Simpson Kirkpatrick (of Simpson and his donkey fame)

was allowed to work independently in casualty collection at Gallipoli, endorsed by giving his own Red Cross armband to the donkey.

Col Sutton later served as Assistant Director of Medical Services, 2 Div, in Gallipoli during August 1915 and on the Western Front at the Battle of Pozieres.

The JJ Davis Health Facility and Alfred Sutton Health Facility are indicative of a major change in the delivery of health care to soldiers in barracks throughout Australia.

All unit health assets will gradu-ally be aggregated into hubs servic-ing a number of units and pooling together health service manpower, to assist in maintaining medical support when individual units are deployed on exercises or operations.

Primary care: Brig Stuart Smith, Mick Davis, John Davis and Maj-Gen Paul Alexander at the opening of the JJ Davis Health Facility (top). Candace Sutton and Jonathan Swan, Col Alfred Sutton’s descendants, and Maj-Gen Alexander (above). Photos by LCpl Mark Doran

By Barry Rollings

THIS will be a pivotal year in the Afghanistan campaign – both for that country and Australia, says Defence Minister John Faulkner.

Senator Faulkner made the observa-tion in his March 18 Ministerial state-ment on Afghanistan.

“The Government is immensely proud of the continuing efforts of the men and women of the Australian Defence Organisation serving in Afghanistan and their colleagues from other Australian Government agencies,” he said.

“Australia is committed to achiev-ing our mission in Afghanistan: to fight insurgency and deny sanctuary to interna-tional terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, who still threaten and attack innocent civilians the world over; to assist in sta-bilising Afghanistan; and to stand firmly by our alliance commitment to the US.

“The planned enhanced civil-ian component of Australia’s effort in Afghanistan is being designed to ensure our efforts are fully aligned with the broader coalition strategy.”

ADF operations in Oruzgan contin-ued to improve the situation in the prov-ince, Senator Faulkner said.

“The Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force has made great progress in its work with the Afghan National Army (ANA) 4 Bde. In a recent joint opera-tion, Afghan troops and their Australian mentors established a permanent security presence in the Mirabad Valley, east of Tarin Kowt.”

Gains had been most recently demon-strated with the capture of a key Taliban insurgent commander, Mullah Janan Andewahl, in a joint Afghan National Security Forces and Australian Special Operations Task Group operation.

Senator Faulkner also said recent media suggestions the Australian forc-es training the ANA in Oruzgan were prevented from guiding Afghan soldiers through real-life combat situations were “patently false”.

“The primary focus of our military mission in Afghanistan is to train the 4 Bde in Oruzgan to the level where it is able to take responsibility for the security of the province,” he said.

“Australia has other force elements deployed in support of broader ISAF efforts, such as our artillery group based with our British allies in Helmand, and our Chinooks that conduct activities in a range of provinces.

“Australia is making a very signifi-cant contribution to the coalition effort in Afghanistan. We are the largest non-NATO contributor to ISAF and the 10th largest overall.”

Senator Faulkner said that one of the key challenges was the issue of civilian casualties.

“Civilian casualties must be mini-mised and it is critical that, where alle-gations of civilian casualties arise, such incidents are properly investigated and the outcomes openly reported.”

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WORLD NEWS 13Army April 15, 2010

By LAC Aaron Curran

THE ADF now has full control over management and storage of its ammuni-tion in the MEAO.

This stems from the opening of the temporary Ammunition Storage Point (ASP), which became fully operational at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan in December.

“This facility provides a consolidated storage area for all Australian ammuni-tion in the MEAO,” OC Force Support Team – KAF Maj Jo Richards-Bell said.

“The reliance upon the coalition force support with respect to ammunition stor-age has been significantly reduced and means that the Force Support Unit can manage the theatre stocks more efficiently and more ably provide timely ammuni-tion support to force elements further for-ward.”

Currently, the ASP is in a temporary location but with the expanding works in progress at KAF, they will move into a much larger ASP that the US forces are constructing. That will provide a more secure, safe and permanent facility com-prising earth-covered magazines by 2011.

The ASP facility is operated by five Army personnel – four ammunition tech-nicians and one operator supply.

The team managed the huge task of rebasing the ammunition into the tempo-rary facility.

WO2 Brian Snape is the senior AT for KAF and is responsible for the dis-tribution of all ordnance throughout the MEAO.

“We now are the central holding point and manage the theatre stocks for the MEAO,” he said.

“We then supply that ammunition for-ward to Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan as well as force elements in Al Minhad.”

He said their job was to hold a sig-nificant volume of ammunition, pack and supply it forward to force elements and then work to achieve Australian standards where possible.

“The facility we are currently in is

By LAC Aaron Curran

THE Rotary Wing Group (RWG) has changed address.

As part of the wider plan to de-conflict helicopter operations with fixed-wing traffic at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, RWG has moved to a facility that will become its permanent home in theatre.

Previously based at ‘Lima’ ramp, RWG has moved to an interim facil-ity at ‘Mustang’ ramp on the north-ern side of the airfield. At Mustang it will eventually move into new facilities comprising a hangar, build-ings and a good-sized hardstand.

CO RWG 5 Lt-Col David Lynch said the move was in line with the US Combat Avn Bde’s eventual move to the same location.

“We will spend the next three months getting the information sys-tems up and running,” Lt-Col Lynch said. “It gives us an opportunity to get a firm footprint on the ground over at Mustang so we have got our

place there when they eventually tear down our current hangar, which we’ve borrowed from our American friends.”

The first containers were in place in mid-March and most of the other containers and equipment by the end of March.

“During the move, we conducted aircrew theatre qualification training as well as assembling our second airframe so we have a busy period ahead,” Lt-Col Lynch said.

“Everyone picked up a respon-sibility for the move even if it was ‘out of their lane’ and not their pri-mary role.”

Force Support Unit and Force Communications Unit provided heavy equipment for the uplift and established reliable communications infrastructure.

The interim facilities are col-lapsible fabric hangars that are open either side.

“What we have negotiated for our new facilities is a massive con-

crete hard stand with a hangar on one part of it with plywood build-ings and lots of container space,” Lt-Col Lynch said.

“Even better for us is that the Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) will be right next door to where we are ... as all of our missions are operated through the TOC.”

He said the move provided the opportunity to renew and improve the maintenance workspace.

“We have already taken two truckloads of garbage to the tip from our current hangar. Anyone who has had to move on posting will be familiar with this phenomenon.”

At the interim facility, RWG per-sonnel will experiment with the best arrangement of equipment before the permanent move.

“We have an opportunity to pro-vide a workspace for the tradesmen that is as good as possible in this rudimentary environment,” Lt-Col Lynch said. “It will hopefully stand us in good stead for the future.”

Ammo storage under control

only for the short term,” WO2 Snape said.“The American forces are building

another facility, which Australia is con-tributing resources towards, and we will leverage off these US efforts.

“Land here at KAF is at a premium and so it is as a result of the great rela-tionship with the US forces that the ADF is able to have some space to further expand our operations and ammunition storage capability.

“We will ensure the Australian stand-ards are understood by the Americans during the build – things like floor space, height and storage size – which will mean that, on completion, the new ASP should be as good as we have in Australia.”

Consolidation: Pte Douglas Ward, left, and AT Cpl Robert Selby, move 5.56mm ammunition at the ASP. Photo by LAC Aaron Curran

Heavy loads: Cfn Dan O’Connell lines up the pallets to load equipment on for the re-location of RWG at Kandahar Airfield. Photo by LAC Aaron Curran

RWG ramps up

Annual Rent Allowance Review

The annual Rent Allowance review has now commenced.

If you are currently in receipt of Rent Allowance, and you are included in this year’s review, you should have already received your review letter and statement. If this is the case, you will need to respond quickly.

You will need to complete a statement with details of your rental

situation and provide a current rent receipt or tenant payment

history. NOTE: Other supporting documentation may be requested.

It is important you respond to this review as it establishes if there

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Failure to respond by the due date may cause your Rent Allowance to be stopped.

If you have any questions, please contact your regional DHA offi ce on 139 DHA (139 342).

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14 WORLD NEWS Army April 15, 2010

By Capt Al McPherson

THE Force Support Team (FST) is providing essential logistical sup-port to Australian soldiers based in Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan.

One of the FST responsibilities is to cater for up to 2000 personnel dur-ing each of the three meal sittings a day at the main dining facility. About 12,000kg meat and up to 16,000kg of fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs are prepared every week.

Caterer WO2 Nicole Smith said fresh produce, eggs and Dutch spe-cialty foods were air-freighted into Tarin Kowt to ensure the best possible quality, while frozen foods such as meat as well as dry goods and water were road-freighted.

“We took over the mess from the Dutch on December 1 last year and since then we’ve made improvements with the addition of fresh vegetables and meat,” WO2 Smith said.

“The mess now caters to a wider range of tastes but with a focus on nutritious Australian styles of meals. We take into consideration other coa-lition partners’ tastes.”

Catering to the many troops in Tarin Kowt is a round-the-clock job for military staff and contractors, as are some of the other services provid-ed by the FST, including base main-tenance, cargo movement and mail support to the deployed soldiers.

As with feeding the troops, postal services are a mainstay of operations, with soldiers in the field always look-ing forward to a parcel or letter from home.

Commander FST Capt Dean Ellis said the Australian Tarin Kowt Military Post Office processed more than 1.5 tonnes of mail and 100 bags of parcels every week.

“Our postie does a great job, as do all of the staff at FST,” Capt Ellis said.

“The lone postie works 12 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that the troops are able to post and receive letters from home.”

The FST also comprises opera-tions personnel, administration per-sonnel, psychologists, drivers, termi-nal operators, quartermaster staff, air dispatch personnel, tradesmen, plant operators, environmental health staff and ammunition technicians.

By Sgt Mick Davis

MEMBERS of Australian and Dutch task forces joined Afghan staff at the Multinational Base in Tarin Kowt on March 20 to see in the year 1389 according to the Afghan calendar.

Celebrations included speeches, a traditional Afghan barbecue with kebabs, tra-ditional dancing and music from an Afghan band that travelled from Kandahar for the occasion.

CO Mentor ing Task Force 1 Lt-Col Jason Blain said the night was a great insight into Afghan culture and its people, especially “the way that they come together to celebrate a new year in the northern spring with its new growth, energy and optimism”.

“Looking at their dance and hearing the music and speeches it’s obvious that New Year celebrations are about letting go of the past and looking to the future.”

Catering and post a priority

Long hours: Always on the move, Cpl Shaun Byrnes from Force Support Unit at Multinational Base Tarin Kowt readies a vehicle for loading (above).

Inset: WO2 Nicole Smith receives a catering order from Sgt Karel of the Royal Netherlands Army (left).Photos by Sgt Mick Davis

Energy, optimism in 1389

Into the spirit: CO Mentoring Task Force 1, Lt-Col Jason Blain, left, enjoys the festivities at Tarin Kowt. Photo by Sgt Mick Davis

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SOLDIERS have helped enlarge the smiles on the faces of students at a Solomon Islands school.

Combined Task Force 635 CO Lt-Col David Thompson and Rosalie Primary School principal Sue Goddard presented school staff and students with stationery, 10 laptop computers and a substantial monetary donation last month.

Lt-Col Thompson – who is a teach-er at Rosalie Primary School in his civilian life – said it was a great source of satisfaction “to see the faces of the kids that have so little, and to give a few gifts can make their day, their week and potentially their future”.

“I think Australians have a long his-tory of being able to help others and get out there and make a difference and this is one small part of a larger picture in doing it,” he said.

Sali School is located deep in the tropical jungle, an hour from the capi-tal Honiara. It does not have access to power, although there are plans to install solar panels.

16 WORLD NEWS Army April 15, 2010

By Lt Brett Fowler

M E C H A N I C S f r o m Combined Task Force 635 have helped the Solomon Islands fire brigade fix its two Honiara-based fire engines.

The brigade has about 51 firefighters who are posted in main areas throughout the country. The largest fire service base is in the heart of Honiara, where two mechan-ics are in charge of the fleet of fire engines.

WO2 Chr i s Huppa tz led the mechanical work-ing bee and was assisted by Cfn Andrew Murray and Cfn Matthew Richards.

“Our role here is not to fix the fire engines ourselves, rather, we provide assistance

and guidance to the local mechanics so they can devel-op better skills for the future,” WO2 Huppatz said.

The request for advice initially came from Solomon Islands Fire Brigade adviser Gary White, a NSW fire bri-gade officer seconded to the country since April 2009.

“The help received from the military mechanics was very beneficial and their guid-ance has been great,” Mr White said.

The main issue with the fire trucks is ongoing routine maintenance.

“Having the mil i tary mechanics help build the capacity of our local mechan-ics means we are making it more sustainable into the future,” Mr White said.

Words fail as gifts given

Mechanical knowledge: WO2 Chris Huppatz provides advice to Solomon Islands’ mechanic Luciana. Photo by Sgt Frank Mazzella

Some of the students have to walk for two hours to get to the school.

Rosalie, near Perth in Western Australia, has formed a special rela-tionship with Sali since 2007. Rosalie’s students, teachers and parents have

helped raised money for the school. “Its been a good two years that the children of Rosalie have been hearing about the needs of Sali school children and doing their best to support them as best they can. I can go back now

and share my experiences with Rosalie and reassure them that their efforts and money is being put to good use,” Ms Goddard said.

Sali teacher Karel Kennedy high-lighted the impact of the donation,

saying: “There are no words to express how thankful we are toward what you have done for us, to the principal and Dave Thompson and all of you who have helped our school, we very much appreciate it.”

Hello: Sue Goddard and Sig Julieanne Horsman talk with children from Ria Sali Primary School in the Solomons.

Hands-on demo: Principal of Rosalie Primary School in Western Australia Sue Goddard and one of her teachers, CO CTF 635 Lt-Col David Thompson, show Ria Sali Primary School students one of the 10 laptops donated by the WA school. Photos by LAC Leigh Cameron

Developing skills for the future

BE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER CALL 131901 OR VISIT DEFENCEJOBS.GOV.AU/NAVY

BUILDING A SHIP OUT OF PEOPLEOne of the most important things to remember about a warship is that it is made up of people. It is not just steel, machinery and high tech weapons systems. It comprises a diverse group of individuals from all walksof life working in close knit teamsto achieve amazing things.

This idea was the premise for thenew Defence Force Recruiting (DFR) brand print and online advertisement for the Navy.

DFR Navy Marketing wanted a brand advertisement to complement and extend the successful Navy television commercials. The intention was to promote the compelling and unique truths inherent in Navy, which would serve to both motivate potential candidates and inspire currentserving members.

On 1 December 2009, DFR, advertising agency George Patterson Y&R, world renowned photographer Andréas Smetana and HMAS Albatross embarked on an ambitious photographic shoot. The idea was to literally create the shape of a frigate and the shape of an LPA out of Navy personnel and capture it as a photograph.

“Interestingly, it was once we were on the shoot that we realised only an organisation like the Navy could make this ad. No one else has the level of discipline needed to organise themselves into such a unique shape,” said Chris Northam, Senior Art Director at George Patterson Y&R.

The photographs of the ‘ships of people’ were built by lining Navy personnel up to create the separate layers of the ship. Staging was employed to give the Navy personnel the height required for the top levels. The layers of the ship were then constructed together digitally.

The Navy personnel from HMAS Albatross and various units at Fleet Base East participated in the shoot

for a long nine hour day, and were subjected to constant uniform checks, drill and many hours waiting around.

For photographer Andreas Smetana,it was the first time he had worked with DFR. “What I loved on this job was the commitment the Navy people showed. Such a good client to work with, and I think very much part of the shoot running smoothly,” he said.

“It is always great to see the image come to life, because you get stuck on seeing the picture just in your head,” he said.

The photographs have been used to create magazine and press advertisements, internet banners and posters. The idea can be applied to a variety of Navy platforms and different Navy can be featured.

“It is a media neutral idea that can be used across many mediums. DFR hopes to undertake the same initiative with Submariners to create a Collins Class Submarine in 2010,” said Lauren Rago from Defence Force Recruiting.

A ‘making of’ video has also been created of the shoot and can be seenat www.defencejobs.gov.au/navy/.

Defence Force Recruiting would like to thank HMAS Albatross, Directorate Recruitment Management Navy and Directorate Navy Reputation Management for their outstanding support. An extra special thanks goes to Warrant Officer Graeme Bromley, Executive Officer HMAS Albatross Cmdr. Darryn Jose and Leut. Kara Wansbury from Fleet Public Affairs for helpingDFR realise this campaign.

BY LAUREN RAGO

18 CENTREPIECE Army April 15, 2010 19

Report and photos: LAC Aaron Curran

By LAC Aaron Curran

ASK anyone in the Armoured Corps what a “trunk monkey” is and you could almost guarantee a blank stare

in return.To the personnel of 2/14 LHR (QMI) with

Secdet 16 in Baghdad, it is a term used every day.

A trunk monkey is the affectionate name given to a cavalry scout who sits in the rear boot of the up-armoured Landcruiser SUVs now used in Baghdad. Their job is to provide security and early warning to the rear of the vehicle.

The much-loved ASLAV – once a com-mon sight in both the Red and Green Zones of Baghdad – is no more; replaced by nine SUVs for the start of Secdet 16.

Lt Matthew Grantham, the Secdet pro-tected mobility troop leader, said the transition to SUVs was based on the improving security situation and the need for a reduced military footprint in Iraq.

“In Baghdad we blend in with the large number of private security detachment con-tractors and companies that are currently oper-ating there,” Lt Grantham said.

“It is a sign of the times in Baghdad, a city committed to returning to normalcy.”

The SUVs come in two variants – a 4.2 tonne Series 76 and the 4.6 tonne Landcruiser that the Close Personal Protection team uses.

The extra weight comes from added armour built into the vehicles.

“The suspension, brakes and other com-ponents have been upgraded to accept the increased weight of the armour, thereby ensuring the vehicle handles as well as possi-ble in differing terrain,” Lt Grantham said.

“The vehicle provides comparable pro-

Landcruisers take over from ASLAVs

Driving duties: Cpl Shane MacErlean, left, and Tpr David Fyfe ready for a mission.

Just cruising: The up-armoured SUVs leave the compound of the Australian Embassy in Baghdad.

SINCE deploying in January, the members of Security Detachment 16 have adapted well to the chal-lenging security environment in

which they live and work.As with their predecessors, rockets, IEDs

and small-arms fire are a constant threat. The recent Iraq election period was no exception.

Secdet OC Maj Allan Hamley said in early March a 240mm rocket slammed into a com-pound 95m from the troop’s accommodation.

“It was a reminder that we need to be ready at all times,” he said. “The soldiers are doing this dangerous job very well. Every day, the men and women of Secdet are moving along streets in both the Red and International Zones facing a full suite of threats.”

He said while there was no doubt that Baghdad was still a dangerous place, the situ-ation had improved since the dark days of 2006.

“The security situation is always volatile and acts of violence are regrettably part of the daily life for an Iraqi,” Maj Hamley said.

Secdet comprises about 100 personnel, with two-thirds from 7 Bde and the balance from a private security contractor. Its role is to

provide close personal protection, static secu-rity, quality assurance, and security advice to the Australian Embassy in Baghdad.

A true combat team, it is made up of soldiers from eight corps and includes cav-alry, military police, intelligence, signals, ordnance, transport, medical and RAEME. On top of that it also has contracting and engi-neering support staff.

Maj Hamley’s pride in his troops’ efforts so far is obvious.

“The excellent planning and conduct, par-ticularly at the junior commander and soldier level, has so far prevented any incident. But it is always in the back of our minds that the next threat could be just around the corner,” he said.

When moving VIPs to their required desti-nations, Secdet is broken into two units – the Close Personal Protection (CPP) team and the Counter-Attack Team (CAT). The motorcade conducts routine, but at times risky assign-ments, around the battered streets of the Iraqi capital.

The members of the motorcade have made a concerted effort to engage with both local Iraqi security forces and the US forces.

Secdet’s protected mobility troop leader Lt Matthew Grantham and his men from the CAT conduct ongoing training with the International Zone Quick Reaction Force in order to ensure their preparedness and inter-operability.

“Relations with the US at all levels are at an all time high,” he said.

“The US military visits Secdet on an almost daily basis whether for training, a meeting, a social barbecue or a game of back-yard cricket. It is very reassuring to know they are there to back us up if required.”

With the progressive withdrawal of US forces over coming months, Secdet remains committed to ensuring the same level of friendship is enjoyed with the Iraqi security forces.

“They are our hosts and we deeply respect this relationship,” Lt Grantham said.

“It is important for us to be seen to be doing the right thing and complying with their laws and culture.”

The CPP team has also been busy keeping close-watch on diplomatic staff both in the embassy and when they move out for official business in greater Baghdad and Iraq itself.

After taking over responsibility for the security of the Australian Embassy and its staff in Baghdad, Secdet 16 has had a busy and challenging first few months.

SECURITY FIRM

tection to the ASLAV, and while cramped, provides very good mobility for the variety of tasks we conduct.”

Its reduced size gives the soldiers the abil-ity to easily negotiate tight areas and its ample power gives them the ability to react quickly when needed.

There are also subtle differences from the ASLAV. For example, in the ASLAV, crewmen have radio communications attached to their heads by their helmets, whereas in the SUVs they have to use a handpiece similar to the infantry.

He said his team members were fortunate to have some SUV training with SASR in

Perth before being deployed. They had an introduction to the vehicles and the different limitations they imposed, along with compre-hensive training on how to fight with and from the vehicle.

“Our entire lead-up training, including the mission rehearsal exercise, was conducted on up-armoured SUVs followed by a complex and challenging live-fire exercise at Wide Bay Training Area,” Lt Grantham said.

“It has been quite an adjustment for the troop, but to a cavalry soldier, it is just another platform.”

While the troopers will be away from their ASLAVs for more than eight months, Lt Grantham is making sure they are not disad-vantaged when it comes to promotion.

“They are doing training while they are here so they are on an even level when it comes to career progression,” he said.

“We are making sure their careers are not in limbo because they are out of the ASLAV, but the experience gained here is priceless.”

Lt Grantham said Secdet 16 had built a good name with the Iraqi Security Forces.

“They are coming to differentiate the Australians from the private security detach-ments,” he said.

“They treat us differently and say ‘Australia very good’. It’s reassuring to know that we have established a good reputation with them in these vehicles.”

He said they never expected to be driving SUVs instead of ASLAVs.

“When we joined up as troop leaders or crewmen we would have never thought we would be driving up-armoured SUVs in Iraq. RAAC soldiers have adapted very well to the platform and are well suited given the highly mobile nature of our taskings,” he said.

Monkey business: Tpr Eamon Hale in the back of a Landcruiser.

Group shot: Protected mobility troop leader Lt Matthew Grantham with his team members and their up-armoured Landcruiser SUVs at the Secdet base in Baghdad.

Gear check: Tpr Ryan Leitch organises his equipment at the range.

Straight aim: Secdet personnel practise rapid aim fire drills under the instruction of Cpl Leon Smithenbecker.

Quiet time: Tpr James Brown takes a moment before going out on a mission from the embassy.

Planning session: Maj Allan Hamley, right, and Capt Peter Baker in discussion in the operations room.

Weather-proof: Tpr William Spray covers up from the dust in Baghdad.

Defence Honours and Awards to visit 6 Capital Cities on Anzac Day

On Sunday 25 April, Defence Honours and Awards staff will attend Anzac Day ceremonies in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart.

You and your family are invited to visit the Defence Honours and Awards display as part of the commemorative activities for the day. You will fi nd helpful staff at the following locations:

The Australian War Memorial, CanberraAnzac Memorial, Hyde Park South, Sydney The Shrine of Remembrance, MelbourneQueens Park, BrisbaneStirling Gardens (prior to march) and Anzac House (at completion of march), St George’s Terrace, Perth The Hobart Cenotaph, Hobart

Staff from Honours and Awards welcome this opportunity to answer any questions, provide application forms and assist with general information on medals contained within the Australian honours and awards system as well as information on Imperial and foreign awards.

For more information on medals and eligibility criteria or to subscribe to automatically receive policy updates and the Defence Honours and Awards Newsletter, please visit the Defence Honours and Awards’ website at www.defence.gov.au/medals or phone the Customer Response Team toll-free on 1800 111 321 between 0900 and 1700 AEST.

Q: What’s happening as a result of the CA’s alcohol message to address the alcohol- fuelled behaviour and misuse of alcohol in the Army?A: There is an issue with the misuse of alcohol and alcohol-influenced behaviour in the Army, and in society as well.

About 80 per cent of soldiers undergo-ing detention at the Defence Force Corrective Establishment are in there due to alcohol-relat-ed behaviour.

For myself and the CA, an unaccepta-ble number of soldiers are being charged for alcohol-related behaviour or are being injured through the misuse of alcohol or stu-pid behaviour.

The CA’s message is clear: it is your choice whether you drink or not. He does not want to stop you having a good time. It is your choice on how you act or behave in public or your home or whether you drive your car. It is your choice if you get behind the wheel over the limit. You are responsible.

But it is Army’s need to take care of you and your mates that forms an important part of the CA’s concerns over the misuse of alcohol.

A pilot Alcohol Awareness Course (AAC) was held in Moorebank in February. Forces Command, and other units, have continued to develop ways to take lessons learned from this course and start to enhance and/or complement programs already in place within brigade and unit areas.

Programs such as Keep Your Mates Safe and the AAC, or their modified equivalent, should become more common as the year progresses. The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Dangerous Drugs team has been boosted in numbers to help deliver education programs.

I WRITE in response to Sgt Rout’s letter (Army, March 4) detailing the delay in receiving his carpet cleaning bill – actually, I write specifi-cally about the response and its complete inad-equacy to address this soldier’s issues.

Sgt Rout raises a very interesting point that can be extrapolated even further; the poor excuses that DHA gives for underperforming. Let me explain.

Mr Job’s reply to Sgt Rout details a tale of woe about implementing a new online system, a contractor submitting the paperwork late, staff absences, and he even throws in a few more gen-eral areas that can cause delays.

Does this answer, or even help Sgt Rout?I’d like to offer Mr Job a little anecdote to help

him formulate an opinion of DHA’s performance. As a CO, I too have responsibilities with

money. I spend in excess of $1 million a year on training, including stores, a lot of which is purchased from local contractors. I am person-ally held accountable for finances through Army Capability Management System (ACMS) and bulk fund certificates (which are monthly fore-casted).

ACMS was introduced into many training establishments last year as a “new system” and we had to make it work. This includes chasing contractors who have not yet submitted bills as we have to balance the books or we get a “please explain”.

And of course, when we have staff absences, through courses, deployments, Christmas breaks etc, are we allowed to tell our masters an eight-month delay will ensue? No guessing what the answer is.

Defence is held accountable for each and every action. Why should Defence then expect less from its outsourced service providers – yes, service providers.

We are not looking for excuses or explana-tions; we simply require a professional service at world’s best practice, for that is what soldiers provide Australia in return.

With DHA also handing over most of the removal documentation to Toll Transitions, will this improve services? I certainly hope so.Lt-Col Mark CoyleCO SME

20 LETTERS AND VIEWPOINTS Army April 15, 2010

RSM-A’s FAQs

Message is clear No excuse for lackof service

I implore you all to look after your mates and keep them out of strife if their behaviour is leading to something not acceptable to you as an Australian soldier. I ask that you remember Army’s values of courage, initiative and team-work, and the nine core behaviours, when you are looking after each other.

Q: What is available for soldiers in the “One Career, Many Jobs” approach to retention now that we have had some of our trade transfer options stopped? A: The Army is over strength by about 1000 soldiers.

We want to keep you and have you in a job that gives you personal satisfaction and meets your aspirations. Hopefully this allows you to meet your personal and family needs.

However, in recent months our separation rates have dropped below 8 per cent from long-term levels of more than 12 per cent. This

is due, in part, to the ease with which sol-diers have been able to be retrained and move between jobs in the Army.

The current situation demands we place tighter controls on where we can give you another job if you elect to trade transfer or come to the Army from the reserves. Indeed the number of lateral transfers from overseas have been reduced significantly this year.

Some popular trades will be hard to get into while others still require significant boosting.

Limited numbers of trade transfers to specif-ic areas remain available to soldiers. However, the ability to train you in these trades may also restrict your ability to immediately transfer.

The Trade Transfer and Retention Warrant Officer in your area provide advice on the jobs available so you may then submit the transfer application through your chain of command.

Q: Are there any other organisations avail-able to give me assistance or advice on com-pensation and welfare issues? A: In the April 1 edition of Army I had an item on what you should look for in someone who was to give you compensation advice.

I reinforce the point that you must be satis-fied that the person delivering the advice is a trained advocate and that you are happy with the service being given.

I cannot list all the service providers in this column but you can also get access to trained counsellors through the Australian Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Veterans’ Association and the Returned and Services League of Australia among others.

The Army has dedicated counsellors who can also provide you with advice. More about this in the next edition.

■ Preference is given to letters under 300 words.■ All letter writers must include their name, unit, location and contact number for purposes of verification.■ Email letters to [email protected] or via mail to Army newspaper, R8-LG-038, Russell Offices, ACT 2600.

HAVE YOUR SAY

www.dha.gov.au | 139 DHA (139 342)

Received your posting before 1 July 2010?

Moving before 31 August 2010?

You will need to talk to us as we will manage your relocation. Any postings received after 1 July 2010 will be handled by Toll Transitions.

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22 HISTORY Army April 15, 2010

By Cpl Zenith King

A NEW plaque at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) recognises more than 3000 Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC) members who served in Vietnam.

In a dedication ceremony on March 27, soldiers from the corps were remembered for their operational service from 1966-1972.

RAASC Vietnam Supply Platoon Associat ion patron Maj-Gen David McLachlan (retd) said although the corps’ units did not operate major war-fighting equipment, they enabled those that did to do so.

“During the early stages of deployment men and machines were run to their limits establishing the infrastructure at both Nui Dat and Vung Tau,” Maj-Gen McLachlan said. “We were often tasked to provide patrols ranging in size from sections to pla-toons. Such patrols had tasks ranging from and including overnight ambushes, standing patrols, fighting patrols and protection par-ties for overnight civil aid.”

A former 25 Sup Pl corporal, Anthony Galea, spoke of the time when the Viet Cong attacked Saigon in 1968.

“We set up a fire support base about 60 miles north of Saigon. They actually hit us three times during the night and we lost our standing patrol when a mortar hit them. I was in RAASC and I thought ‘what am I doing out here’? ” Mr Galea said.

Whether they were conscripted or enlist-ed, RAASC soldiers came from all over

Australia and served one year of duty in Vietnam. Detachments of the corps first deployed to South Vietnam in May 1965 and established a base at Vung Tau drawing their supplies, ammunition and fuel from the US system.

Former 85 Tpt Pl driver Bruce Wilson was based at Nui Dat’s Task Force Maintenance area in 1969-70 and provided transport services to the field.

He was pleased the plaque at the AWM paid tribute to the service corps.

“Lots of attention, quite rightly, is given to the combatant units but this is a good commemoration to us,” Mr Wilson said.

Former OC 25 Sup Pl Bruce Manning began the three-year process to design the plaque and negotiate with the AWM for its placement after being approached by a mate.

“One of our number expressed regret, guilt and, dare I say it, a level of shame that he did not serve in the fighting element in the army in Vietnam,” Mr Manning said.

“Now former RAASC soldiers can come and proudly find their own place among Canberra’s memorials.”

Reverend Ken Jarvis blessed the plaque, which Brig Geoff Christopherson (retd) and Tracey Kelly – the granddaughter of late RAASC SSgt Keith Luff – unveiled.

Maj-Gen McLachlan told the RAASC veterans at the dedication ceremony: “As you leave this sacred place today chant over and over in your mind ‘our corps’. Do so with the knowledge that you, its officers and soldiers in South Vietnam, were always Par Oneri – equal to the task.”

PROUD SERVICE� 1 Coy was the first corps unit to deploy to Vietnam.� 1 Coy served in Vietnam from April 1966 to July 1967

and was replaced by 5 Coy, which remained until 1972. The third unit to be deployed was 26 Coy, which arrived in December 1967 at Nui Dat.

� 3500 personnel served in Vietnam.� 2400 served in corps units.� 1100 served in various headquarters and non-corps

appointments.� 35 members of the corps served with the Australian

Army Training Team Vietnam in Le Mat.

Recognition for RAASC

Special occasion: WO1 Wayne Le Lievre, RSM Army School of Transport, Tracey Kelly and Anthony Galea at the unveiling. Photo by Cpl Dion Trevillion

Bit by bit: Pte Warren South, left, and Pte Warren Dean recover the last of the water.

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TRAINING 23Army April 15, 2010

By Cpl Jane Ashby-Cliffe

SOLDIERS from 3 Bde jumped from ship to shore after joining forces with the Navy and Air Force during Exercise Sealion, an annual amphibious landing operation.

Waters between Townsville and Cowley Beach training area became a battle ground for Army’s Amphibious Beach Team (ABT) and combined-arms combat team, which supported the Navy-led exercise from March 3-12.

The ABT from 10FSB was responsible for the preparation and command of the beach-landing sites and their seaward approaches.

ABT plant operator Spr Paul O’Bree said the ABT altered its role for this year’s exercise, which had an increased focus on security.

“We were required to play more of an infantry defensive role maintaining tight security of the area,” Spr O’Bree said.

“We had a few new faces on board this time round but we came together, knuckled down and got the job done without any dramas or mishaps.

“Our high work tempo depends on tide times which determine when the watercraft can approach to unload and load personnel and supplies, but even in our quiet times there was plenty to do.”

Ex Sealion allowed the amphibious assets to pre-pare for an increased role with the introduction of the Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock in 2014, Australia’s new amphibious assault ships.

2RAR led the combined-arms combat team, which included elements from 3/4 Cav Regt, 3CER, 3CSR, 3CSSB and 4 Fd Regt.

The combat team moved from ship to shore in Black Hawks, LCM8s and landing craft-heavy to conduct attacks and clearing operations and to deliver humanitarian aid.

OC A Coy 2RAR Maj Charl Cromhout explained the exercise as a micro-combat team activity which was escalated to combat team level with combined activities supported by joint assets.

“Ex Sealion was a great training opportunity for all. It exposed commanders at section micro-combat and the combat team level to amphibious operations at the joint level, which imparted knowledge on the coopera-tion of these elements,” he said.

He said the skills and experience gained provided a good lead into Ex Croix Du Sud in New Caledonia this month.

For information on the ABT contact Capt Dean Clark at [email protected] or Sgt Shannon Grantham via email [email protected]

Sealion a shore thing

Safe landing: Spr Brogan Cowie, 3CER (far left) clears the road at Cowley Beach during Exercise Sealion while Commander of the Amphibious Beach Team, Capt Dean Clark, 35 Water Tpt Sqn, 10FSB, hits the sand from a LARC V during the beach landing (above).Mates: LCpl Rodney Ferner, Pte Corey Williams and Cpl Dylan Long, left to right, (inset) from A Coy, 2RAR, on patrol after being inserted by a Black Hawk at Cowley Beach. Photos by LCpl Mark Doran

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24 TRAINING Army April 15, 2010

By Cpl Jane Ashby-Cliffe

RAIN, mud and blood-sucking insects make the Combat Training Centre at Tully ideal for jungle training.

True to form, Tully’s harsh conditions and challenging obstacles provided the perfect environment for 2RAR members to sharpen their skills during Sub-Unit Training (SUT) from February 15-28.

OC A Coy Maj Charl Cromhout said the training focused on key competencies employed by soldiers at section and pla-toon level in closed country.

“Tully provides a complex terrain in which we can apply warfighting skills, enhance the mental toughness of our sol-diers and test low-level command and control skills,” Maj Cromhout said.

“Although the training can be quite taxing we are pushing for an adaptive soldier capable of combat in an adaptive environment.”

The SUT covered basic soldiering skills, the art of jungle warfare, and low-level section and platoon operations, including patrolling, obstacle cross-ings, ambushes and section and platoon attacks. Engineers from 3CER also attended and were employed in their core business to support the training.

Pte Andrew Wells said Tully provided a different, challenging training environ-ment to revise and learn skills.

“The conditions were tough and the training was hard but every challenge was achievable,” he said.

“Working in such a dense environ-ment meant poor visibility and created a whole new list of difficulties when patrolling and engaging the enemy. We had to rely on noise and smell.

“Training in the jungle requires you to draw on all the little things that eve-ryone learns, like why things are seen. It’s the little things which become really important and help you to find the enemy or conceal yourself.

“If you can get the basic drills right you have something to build on which leads to a better section and a better pla-toon.”

Following an intense training program,w soldiers faced their final hur-dle in Exercise True Grit, a section-based competition involving a pack march, cas-ualty evacuation, military skills, obstacle course and bayonet-assault course.

Maj Cromhout said despite the mixed level of experience within the company, the soldiers performed well and achieved the training objectives.

Adapting to the elements

Meeting: Spr Bradley Whitehorn, A Coy, 2 Pl; WO2 Mark Mahoney, Jungle Training Centre; and platoon commander Lt Jack McClory take time out to assess their situation (above).Incognito: Spr Kerry Kourapanidis,18 Combat Engineer Sqn, (right) and Cpl Nathan Lissing, an A Coy, 2 Pl, section commander (left) patrols through the Tully jungle.Photos by LCpl Mark Doran

2RAR takes on Tully

FEATURES 25Army April 15, 2010

Gallipoli time capsuleA new edition of The Anzac Book has been released. AB Melanie Schinkel reports. WIN THE BOOK

Compliments of the Australian War Memorial, Army has two copies of The Anzac Book to give away. To enter, email your name and contact details to [email protected] and simply tell us in 50 words or less your most memo-rable Anzac experience. Please ensure the email subject line includes the words “The Anzac Book Competition”. Entries close April 30.

“DAY AND night, during the whole proc-ess of its composition, the crack of the Mauser bullets overhead never ceased.”

That was the recollection of war correspondent and editor Charles Bean, between November 15 and December 8, 1915 on the creation of The Anzac Book.

Under enemy fire in the trenches, beneath the shelter of sandbags or a waterproof sheet, soldiers sketched on scraps of paper with iodine brushes and red and blue pencils amid Gallipoli’s worst blizzard in 40 years to create what has become a true Australian artefact.

The Australian War Memorial launched a new edi-tion of The Anzac Book on March 26 to officially mark the 95th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign.

Historian, journalist and acclaimed author of Gallipoli Les Carlyon presented the third reprint of The Anzac Book, including previously unpublished material, in the AWM’s Anzac Hall.

AWM Director Steve Gower said The Anzac Book was a remarkable time capsule of the Gallipoli cam-paign and offered insights into the thoughts, feelings and actions of the men who fought on the Turkish peninsula. “Some of the contributions from soldiers that appear in this edition were originally rejected for pub-lication. At the time they were excluded on grounds of taste, security or because they were regarded as critical of the campaign. They are now being published for the first time,” Mr Gower said.

Mr Carlyon said The Anzac Book brought together illustrations, cartoons, stories and poems of men who lived under extreme conditions and constant enemy fire.

It presented their reflections on fighting, hardships, disease and harsh weather they endured on Gallipoli.

“What makes The Anzac Book remarkable is simply the circumstances under which it came into being. Few books of such good humour have been produced in such wretched conditions,” Mr Carlyon said.

“This book is mostly about Australian humour and whimsy, about the Australian custom of making a joke out of adversity – be it a drought or war – and about the old Australian habit of not taking oneself too seriously, and of not taking those in authority seriously at all.”

The Anzac Book was initially intended to be a Christmas/New Year magazine, developed as a diver-sion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches.

Bean received 150 contributions from soldiers and following the evacuation of Anzac troops in late December, continued to edit the book as a “souvenir” record of soldiers’ experiences on Gallipoli.

The Anzac Book was an immediate success when it was released in London in May 1916.

The entire print run of 55,000 copies was sold out before publication and more than 100,000 further cop-ies were sold within four months of its release.

Proceeds from the sale of the 95th anniversary edi-tion of The Anzac Book will be dedicated to refurbish-ing and renewing the Memorial’s Gallipoli galleries for the centenary of the campaign in 2015.

The Anzac Book retails for $49.95 and can be purchased directly from the AWM or online via the AWM website at http://www.awm.gov.au/shop/item/9781742231341/

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py swel l o ff the Kimberley coast, our zodiacs idled past an

ancient petrified forest high on the cliffs.

The majestic scene brought a welcome moment of reflection on a physically demanding day for the patrolmen of Kimberley Sqn.

Zodiac-based water opera-tions are arguably one of the most demanding and team-orientated types of patrols a Regional Force Survellience Unit (RFSU) can deploy on.

“People pay thousands for these kind of wilderness adven-tures and to see this sort of stuff,” our coxswain LCpl Heath Boyd said with a country twang and a twitch of his moustache.

The serene interlude soon passed and the mood and focus shifted back to the mission. Our bowman called ‘shallow water ahead’, so it was time to race the tide to the calmer waters of the mangroves.

Small-team, high intensity, short duration patrols are charac-teristic of RFSU operations and exercises, and often suit the avail-ability of the once-branded week-end warriors.

Ex Ocean Swift set out with a combination of indigenous and non-indigenous patrolmen from the country towns of Kununurra, Derby, Broome and Noonkanbah last month.

At 19, Pte Naverone Salerno from Kununurra was the youngest and newest member of the squad-

For nearly 30 years a unit of diverse cultures and characters has been protecting northern Australia. Report and photos by Gnr Shannon Joyce on Norforce’s Exercise Ocean Whisper.

ron. Deploying as a bowman for the first time, he was in good company this trip with his older cousin and uncle.

“It’s great heading out with patrol members I’ve known my whole life,” he said.

“Everyone knows one anoth-er’s strengths and weaknesses and compensates without a second thought.”

Water-op patrols like this one often bow to the mercy of the tides and skill of the patrolmen reading the land. A slight mis-calculation in the tide times or a wrong turn through the maze of waterways can result in hours of dragging fully-laden zodiacs through knee-high mud-beds back to the sea.

“This is where local knowl-edge can’t be beaten,” LCpl Boyd said.

“I fish some of these inlets, and know them like the back of my hand,” he tooted proudly.

Mechanic LCpl Boyd is one example of the many reserve characters who work out in the squadrons of Norforce.

Map to ground skills and tide knowledge always help a new patrol commander find his foot-ing, but trusting the experience of his men is a strong trait of RFSUs.

As an ex-Kimberley squadron commander, CO Norforce Lt-Col Chris Goldston has extensively patrolled the Kimberley region and highlighted the valued con-tribution of the unit’s local patrol-men base.

“For our reserve patrolmen who often have limited opportu-nities for AIRN and other patrol competencies such as swim tests,

the lead-in training for exercis-es like Ocean Whisper can be as important as the field phase itself,” Lt-Col Goldston said.

“The in-barracks concentra-tion period prepares the soldiers for their performance in the field, refreshing important drills such as capsizes and man-overboard.

“While engaging remote com-munities through festivals and displays are an important aspect of Norforce’s work, our recon-naissance and surveillance contri-butions to the cross-agency efforts on border protection in the Top End is the unit’s core role, and a job our patrolmen have trained well for on this exercise.”

Ex Ocean Whisper focused on water operations where patrolmen practised small team clandestine insertion, manoeuvre and surveil-lance techniques.

Weekend water warriors

On patrol: A zodiac from Norforce’s Kimberley Squadron cruises the mangroves in the north western coastal region of Western Australia during Exercise Ocean Whisper (left).Out of gas: Patrolmen construct a makeshift sail from oars and a hoochie while being towed by a small watercraft during a dead motor scenario on Exercise Ocean Whisper (above).Watchful eye: Noonkanbah local Pte Leryan Costaine provides cover with other patrolmen during a high-ground radio transmission on a petrified forest (below).

26 FEATURES Army April 15, 2010

Defence Relocation Services are changing in 2010Effective 1 July 2010 Toll Transitionswill be the primary contact for all ADF member and family relocations.

Freecall 1800 819 167 or visit www.tolltransitions.com.au

Freecall 139 DHA (139 342) or visit www.dha.gov.au

Toll Transitionswill be responsible for the co-ordination of ADF member and family relocations and relocation entitlements and allowances.

Defence Housing Australia will manage ADF member and family housing and related services.

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Your tour

SOLDIERS can expect greater access to career information and promotion board results as the Soldier Career Management Agency (SCMA) prepares to trial a new method of electronic notification.

SCMA plans to notify soldiers elec-tronically this month of Personnel Advisory Committee (PAC) promotion board results using the Army People Central (APC) portal within PMKeys.

CO SCMA Col Andrew Gallaway said the initial trial would start with the promo-tion series this year. Once the trial was com-plete, the process would then be adjusted and improved.

Col Gallaway said SCMA was also inves-tigating ways to improve the APC portal to

provide soldiers with a single point for career management information.

“We want to further develop the portal so soldiers can access the latest information relat-ing to their career management in a central-ised location. This will provide useful infor-mation and assist soldiers in participating in the management of their own careers through informed choices,” Col Gallaway said.

“SCMA understands that not all soldiers have easy access to the DRN. Defence is aware of the shortfall and progress is being made each year. Rather than wait for a 100 per cent solution, SCMA is embracing the current capacity as an investment for the future.”

At present the chain of command notifies soldiers of their PAC results on receipt of a manually-generated template specified by

rank and trade. Under the new method, COs will receive one PAC notification for their entire unit, rather than receiving them at the end of each corps’ PAC.

“Once the promotion board is closed and the soldier has been notified via the chain of command, individual PAC results will be uploaded into APC. This provides the soldier with the opportunity to view the result and have easy access to their career information,” Col Gallaway said.

PAC notification results will begin to flow across to APC at the end of June.

For more information contact SCMA Business Process Manager Ross Pancione on [email protected] or visit the SCMA site at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/armyweb/sites/scma/comweb.asp?page=105099

28 PERSONNEL Army April 15, 2010

TRAINING has started as part of the implemen-tation of a new logistics and asset management system known as Military Integrated Logistics Information System (MILIS).

MILIS is the upgrade of the current SDSSv4 sys-tem, and following approval from VCDF Lt-Gen David Hurley, MILIS training formally started on March 9 in classrooms at more than 40 locations across Australia.

MILIS training was developed through the Directorate of Materiel Systems Training (DMST).

Of the 32 courses available, 23 are conducted in a classroom setting for Army to ensure the most effec-tive up-skilling of personnel.

Lt-Col Karel Dubsky, Army Headquarters, said the classroom-based training format was chosen to allow users the time and facilities to master the system.

“This training opportunity was not afforded to users on the last roll-out of SDSS,” he said.

“The face-to-face training is an excellent oppor-tunity to ensure individuals know how to use MILIS. This can only result in a better quality of data held in our principal logistics information system.”

DMST director Dianne Lovell said all users must first complete the MILIS introduction course on the Campus online system, as this was a prerequisite for most MILIS courses.

Army users undertaking MILIS training are able to use a number of tools and materials including the Electronic Supply Chain Manual and the Sandpit.

The Sandpit, a replica of MILIS, can be accessed on the DMST intranet after the completion of training.

Lt-Col Dubsky said it was important to maintain proficiency standards between the completion of train-ing and “go-live” through regular use of the Sandpit.

“This is extremely important for users who com-plete training in March or April but won’t have access to MILIS until July,” he said.

Personnel deployed on operations will receive training in-theatre, focusing on the functionality rel-evant to the user’s role while deployed. Upon return to Australia full MILIS training will need to be com-pleted.

Reservists will be trained based on nominations from their units.

For more information visit the DMST website http://intranet.defence.gov.au/DMOWeb/Sites/MATSYSTRAIN/. Inquiries about the MILIS self-paced courses and Sandpit should be directed to the DMST e-Training Support Team at [email protected] or (03) 9256 3043. For Army-specific questions contact Maj Barry Hampson at [email protected] or (02) 6265 8547.

Career info goes electronic

Soldiers can play in Sandpit

THE KEY POINTS� All current SDSSv4 operators and new MILIS users will

be required to complete training.� On completion of training users will complete assess-

ments to determine competency.� Access to MILIS will not be granted without the

required proficiencies.� SDSSv4 proficiencies are not transferable.� To nominate for a course, speak with your supervisor.� The MILIS introduction course must be completed

before starting your role-aligned training courses. It can be accessed at any time and can be used to refresh your skills and knowledge.

Learning curve: Sgt Kevin Payne, Army School of Ordnance, right, assists WO2 Gary Winfield, ALTC Development Group, during MILIS training at ALTC Bandiana. Photo by DMST

A MilHOP, SKIP AND A JUMPTO A BETTER HEALTH FUTUREFor a better health service for you and your ADFteammates, participate in the MilHOP survey.

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30 PEOPLE Army April 15, 2010

Royal visit: Prince Charles meets Kabul-based Australian and New Zealand personnel during a visit to Afghanistan.Left to right, Sgt Mike Havill (RNZAF), Cpl Chris Crooks, Cpl Trish Reynolds (Air Force), Sgt Wayne Morley, Col John Mackenzie, Sqn-Ldr Tony Peck, WO2 Bruce Hillary, Maj-Gen Ash Power, Capt Sarah Hawke, Maj Les D’Monte, Lt-Col Mike Duncan (NZ Army) and Maj Peter Mortimer (NZ Army). Photo by MC1 Mark O’Donald (US Navy)

Timor truckie: LCpl Jo Fraser poses with a Unimog and a Mack during a break in driving tasks in Dili, East Timor. Photo by Capt Chris Hawkins

Family ties: Tom Lomax proudly poses with his two corporal sons, David (left) and Kevin (right). Both serve in Infantry Corps and recently received recognition for their work. Kevin, an instructor at the School of Infantry last year received his second consecutive soldiers’ medallion and David, a section commander at 3RAR received two brigade leadership nominations for his work. The Lomax family, including Tom and his wife, has provided 47 years of combined service to the ADF.

High speed recruiting: WO2 Timothy Costin, Cpl Nicholas Dent, Sgt Andrew Corrone and LS Peter Frith, Defence Force Recruiting Victoria, at their information stand at the Australian F1 Grand Prix. Photo by AB Andrew Black

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LIFESTYLE 31 Army April 15, 2010

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DIKKO By Bob Dikkenberg

BULLETIN BOARD Appeal concertTHE Army Museum of Western Australia will host a fundraising concert on April 15 from 8pm at the Perth Concert Hall. The concert will raise funds for the museum and will feature a col-laboration between acclaimed Australian artist Marina Prior and the Australian Army Band Perth. Pte Liam Haven, who was blinded in an IED blast in Iraq, will perform two songs on guitar including the classic I am Australian. Tickets range from $80 to $95 and can be purchased at www.bocsticket-ing.com.au or by calling 1800 193 300.

Book winnerCONGRATULATIONS to Mark Robbins from Fairfield in Victoria. He has won a copy of Operation Orders: The Experiences of an Infantry Officer by Pat Beale. The book covers the author’s experiences in Malaya, PNG and Vietnam from 1963-1970.

The April 1 winner is ...

We also liked ...

If you can think of a clever, witty caption for this picture, email [email protected] with “caption competition April 15” in the subject line. Keep entries under 25 words. Entries MUST include sender’s name, rank and unit.

“Ahh, good, the Air Force has arrived with those new planes we can sleep in.”Pte David Platte1CSR

“I knew it, Area 51 does exist.”Pte Rob Ennew2 Cav Regt

“When the tender went out for UAVs, no-one noticed the typo until we ended up with UATs or Unmanned Aerial Tents.”Pte Daryl Arnold11/28RWAR

BOOKS

PURE Massacre tells of the Australian service contingents who provided humanitarian

aid and security in Rwanda from 1994-95.

This moving first-hand account of one of the worst genocides since World War II, recounts the daily hor-rors witnessed by soldiers at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA).

More than 600 Australian troops were sent to Rwanda as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission.

On April 22, 1995, Australian soldiers watched as more than 4000 unarmed men, women and children were killed by the RPA at a displaced persons camp in Kibeho.

Images illustrate the pain of the Rwandans and the compassion and bravery of the Australians who “acted in a manner that no words can describe”.

Pure Massacre reflects on what happened during the peace-keeping mission and its release coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Kibeho massacre. – Cpl Zenith King

Modern genocide

MOVIES

Pure MassacreBy Kevin O’HalloranBig Sky Publishing $34.99

Thousand-yard stare: Brendan Cowell (left) looks out from the trenches.

Beneath Hill 60Director: Jeremy SimsWriter: David RoachRated: MPresented by Screen Australia Running time: 122 minutes

MILITARY movie buffs antic-ipating a suitable popcorn flick for Anzac Day are

in for a treat, with Australian film Beneath Hill 60 launching nation-ally on April 15.

Beneath Hill 60 is based on the true story of Capt Oliver Woodward and the 1st Australian Tunnelling Division, which tunnelled beneath German lines and was responsible for the biggest explosion the world had then ever seen.

Woodward (Brendan Cowell) tears himself away from sweetheart

Tunnel tale is a blast

Marjorie (Bella Heathcote) to battle in the mud and carnage.

Deep beneath the German lines, Woodward and his platoon fight to dig and defend a labyrinthine tunnel

system packed with high explosives.Filmed over six weeks in Townsville, Beneath Hill 60 was directed by renowned actor/director Jeremy Sims and written by screenwriter David Roach.

The script is based from actual writ-ings of Woodward, who was awarded the Military Cross with two bars for his role in the conflict.

Complemented by an exceptional supporting cast, Brendan Cowell’s convincing performance portrays Woodward’s transition from civilian to officer and the responsibilities he held for the lives of his men.

Nerve-racking, fast-paced and visu-ally spectacular, Beneath Hill 60 is the perfect blend of love, loss, larrikinism, bloodshed and comradeship melded into a cat-and-mouse adventure of underground mine warfare. – AB Melanie Schinkel

“Gee mate I knew stingrays could fly but this is ridiculous.”Tim HumphreyJoint Logistics Unit

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32 LIFESTYLE Army April 15, 2010

FINANCE

ASIC Chairman Tony D’Aloisio says look at your car insurance carefully.

Driving under coverTHE TYPE of cover you take

out will affect how much you have to pay if you’re involved in an accident.

So if you’re about the buy a new vehicle or if your insurance is up for renewal, shop around for the best deal.

Compulsory third partyCompulsory third party (CTP)

insurance is the most important type of car insurance. It covers death and inju-ry to other people if you are involved in an accident. You must have CTP insurance to register your car. This is sometimes known as a green slip. Go to your state or territory roads and traf-fic authority website to compare quotes on CTP car insurance.

Questions to ask ➤ If I crash into a luxury sports car

will I be able to afford the repairs?➤ Is my car likely to be broken into?➤ How will I get around if my car is

stolen or written off?

Choosing a policyCar insurance policies are based

on either ‘agreed’ or ‘market’ value. An agreed value policy has a set dol-lar value for your vehicle. Market value policies value your car based on the make, model and condition. The agreed value is usually higher than the market value.

When you purchase a car insur-ance policy you will agree to pay a premium, that is, a regular amount that covers the cost of the insurance, and

Additional types of car insurance include:

➤ CTP insurance only covers inju-ries or death to other people in an accident;

➤ Third party property insurance, which covers damage to other people’s property (their car or home) and your own legal costs;

➤ Third party, fire and theft insur-ance, which covers damage to other people’s property, and provides limited cover for damage to your own car caused by theft or fire;

➤ Comprehensive insurance, which covers damage to your own car and other people’s property if your car is in an accident (includ-ing fire) as well as theft.

WHAT YOU ARE COVERED FOR

Brand new baby: Make certain your pride and joy doesn’t end up as valueless scrap metal. Photo by Sgt Andrew Hetherington

you will agree to an excess, which is the initial amount you will have to pay if you make a claim on the policy. Weigh up the difference between hav-ing a high premium and low excess versus paying a lower premium and having to pay a higher excess if you have an accident.

Typical exclusionsMake sure you understand the level

of cover before signing up. All insur-ance policies come with ‘exclusions’. Exclusions are things not covered by your policy. Typical car insurance exclusions to watch out for include:➤ Damage from mechanical failure,

modifications, depreciation, rust and wear and tear;

➤ Lost wages if you can’t drive;➤ Damage caused because your car

was unsafe or in a race;➤ Intentional damage;➤ Damage caused if the driver was

unlicensed, drunk or under the influ-ence of drugs;

➤ The driver wasn’t covered by the policy.

Case studyPte Baker gets into debt

Pte Baker decided not to get any extra car insurance on top of his CTP because his car was old. A few months later, he hit a new sports car, which needed $10,000 worth of repairs.

Because he was not insured for damage to other cars and without access to such a huge amount of cash, Pte Baker had to take out an expensive personal loan to pay off the debt over three years.

Drivers under 25The cost of insurance is determined

by the level of risk your insurer is tak-ing on. As more young drivers are involved in accidents than older driv-

ers, most insurance companies charge a higher premium for drivers under 25.

It pays to be extra vigilant with checking the details and doing all the appropriate paperwork and back checks before buying any vehicle.

It’s wise to go to your state or ter-ritory roads and traffic authority for helpful information on what you need to do when buying a car. It’s also very important to call your insurer before you buy to find out everything they need to know about the car in order to insure you.

If you’re not covered when you drive away having just bought your new vehicle and you’re involved in a crash, even if it’s not your fault, you could end up with an expensive debt and no vehicle.

Visit ASIC’s consumer and investor website, FIDO at www.fido.gov.au or call 1300 300 630. E-mail ASIC with topics that interest you via [email protected]

HEALTH

How do you rate?

THE four-day Outpatient Alcohol Treatment Program (OATP) run by the Director of Mental Health has been

evaluated and revised. Jennifer Harland’s background is

in nursing, mental health and she has extensive experience in the drug and alcohol field. A subject matter expert, she holds the position of National Coordinator Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Program.

“You can see the change in people,” she says. “It’s what you might call the light bulb moment or the tipping point.

“During the four days, usually about the end of day two or three, you can see a change.

“Some people come along feeling that they have been ‘sent’. However by the end of the program they can see the value as they recognise that they do have a problem with alcohol and can change.

“During the first day there is gen-erally some resistance. By the end of day two some people comment ‘Well hang on, maybe I do have an issue with alcohol’ and by the end of day four most of the evaluations that come back say, “I do realise that I have a problem with alcohol and I’m going to do something about it,” Ms Harland said.

Jennifer Harland said she consid-ered the program a success when she heard comments like, “I wish I’d done this years ago” or “I think everyone in my unit could do this.”

Maj Michelle McInnes is SO2

Projects in the Directorate of Mental Health and has worked as a clinician in the regions.

“Many times I’ve been doing coun-selling one-on-one with ADF members and just wishing there was something like this I could have referred them to,” she said.

“I think it’s a fantastic initiative because it’s a step in between those who are dependant on alcohol and require in patient care and the one-on-one counselling they can get from a psychologist in the regions where they can be strapped for resources.

“As part of the Mental Health Reform process we’re putting eight alcohol and drug specialists around Australia. We hope we’ll see a lot more people going into OATP pro-grams.”

Maj McInnes and Jennifer Harland are hoping to see an upward spike in people attending the program as more people are discussing their problems and seeking assistance.

“There is nothing quite like this program in the civilian world, so Defence members are lucky to have this level of intervention at an early stage,” Jennifer Harland said.

The OATP objectives are to:➤ Inform and educate participants

about alcohol and other substance use and alcohol consumption;

➤ Create awareness in each individual of his or her alcohol consumption;

➤ Gain an awareness of the partici-pants’ alcohol use and workplace values;

➤ Assist participants to understand blood alcohol content in relation to safe drink driving practices;

➤ Explore the participants’ motiva-tions and readiness for change;

➤ Explore the positive and negative aspects associated with engaging in risky drinking behaviours“The program was first developed

by Capt Alison Kaine and the revision has ensured that the original intent and content has been maintained,” Jennifer Harland said. “Some people come thinking they’re going to be lectured or hounded or talked at for four days but that’s not the case.

“It’s really about each of the indi-vidual participants, it’s their course and they get an opportunity over four days to explore their own reasons for drinking.”

Maj McInnes said a change in atti-tude became obvious in the 1980s and 1990s. “There’s been a slow and grad-ual change in people’s attitudes in the community and that change has filtered through into the ADF,” she said.

“The latest sign is the Chief of Army saying ‘This is not acceptable’ he’s drawn a line in the sand. The key is getting people to realise that drink-ing responsibly means taking care of yourself and your mates.”

Read up on the ADF Mental Health Strategy at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/dsg/sites/dmh/ or www.defence.gov.au/health/DMH/i-dmh.htm or email [email protected]. A report on the longer live-in AREP course will be in HEALTH next edition.

Is your alcohol use putting you at risk? Hugh McKenzie says take the test.

A score of 8 or more indicates drinking in excess of low risk guidelines. Your ADF health provider can give you some information and support to help you cut down to a less risky amount. Navy members can also see their ADPA or contact their local ADPC for further assistance.

AUDIT YOURSELF

Questions 0 1 2 3 4

1. How often do you have a drink? Never(Skip to Q9&10)

Monthly or less

2 to 4 times a month

2 to 3 times a week

4 or more times a week

2. How many drinks do you have on a typical day?

1 or 2 3 or 4 5 or 6 7 to 9 10 or more

3. How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion?

Never Less than monthly

Monthly Weekly Daily or almost daily

4. How often during the last year have you found you were not able to stop drinking once you had started?



5. How often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?



6. How often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session?



7. How often during the last year have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?



8. How often during the last year have you been unable to remem-ber what happened the night before because of your drinking?



9. Have you or someone else been injured because of your drinking?

No Yes, but not in the last year

Yes, dur-ing the last year

10. Has a relative, friend, doctor or other health care worker been concerned about your drinking and suggested you cut down?

No Yes, but not in the last year

Yes, dur-ing the last year

Do not score questions 11 & 12 Total

11. Do you think you presently have a problem with drinking?

No Probably not

Unsure Possibly Definitely

12. In the next three months, how difficult would you find it to cut down or stop drinking?

Very easy

Fairly easy Neither difficult nor easy

Fairlydifficult

Verydifficult

Place an X in one box that best describes your answer to each question and total your score for questions 1 to 10. See the bottom of the page for an interpretation of your score.

LIFESTYLE 33Army April 15, 2010

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34 SPORT Army April 15, 2010

Elementary for WatsonBy Michael Baruch and Sharon Palmer

THE Australian Defence Sports Triathlon Association held its annual Olympic Distance Triathlon in association with the Sparke Helmore NBN Newcastle Triathlon on March 21.

After delaying the start to wait for the sun to come up, close to 400 triathletes took to the course in ideal conditions.

Wearing black armbands as a sign of respect for Cpl Renee Nicholls, who was killed in a road cycling accident on the Gold Coast on February 28, 24 ADF triath-letes competed for ADF honours.

Capt Sarah Watson, 34 Sy Sect, 3 Coy 1 Int Bn, took out the female event finishing the 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run in a time of 2hrs 33min 47sec, more than 7min ahead of Pte Courtney Jarrett, 2HSB, in 2:41.06 and Pte Milijan Tankosic, 2/14 LH Regt (QMI), 2:43.50.

In just her first triathlon, Pte Tankosic had the fastest swim leg and was out of the water in 24.43, 1min ahead of Capt Watson.

But Capt Watson stormed home on the bike and run legs where she posted the fastest times for both.

“I have only done one triathlon over that distance before, so I was really happy with the result,” she said.

“It was 11 minutes faster than the one I did a couple of years ago.”

Pte Jarrett’s national athletics experi-ence also came to the fore and enabled her to finish strongly.

Favourite AB Andrew Wilkinson won the event in 2:04.14 for the males, finishing the swim in the overall lead pack putting him in a good position for the race.

Maj David Thomas finished second in 2:17.42. He was eighth in the 35-39 age group and 60th overall and attributed his great result to his preparation leading up to the race – late nights watching movies and drinking coffee as well as a glass of red and some cheese and biscuits during the early evening.

Flt-Lt Terry Withers pulled off another great result to finish third in 2:18.25.

Special recognition goes to Capt Peter Howden, HQ 7 Bde, who finished in 2:23.36 and placed 6th in the 45-49 age group.

There was also a bit of husband and wife competition between Cpl Shelly Curtis, 2HSB, and reservist husband Pte Ben Curtis, with Shelly dominating in all legs and beating Ben by a good 15min.More information will be available later in the year for next year’s ADF Olympic Distance Championship. To keep up to date, go to the ADSTA website: http://intranet.defence.gov.au/raafweb/sites/ADSTA/comweb.asp?page=104629

Grinning winner: Capt Sarah Watson cycles towards victory in the olympic distance triathlon in Newcastle on March 21. Photo by LAC Katharine Pearson

By Lt Carrie Miner and WO2 Graham McBean

ENOGGERA-based Light Horse gal-loped home in the 2010 7 Bde Cross Country taking Champion Unit and first places in the men’s and women’s open category.

It was a perfect 150th birthday effort as 2/14 LHR (QMI) showed it’s just getting better with age.

Lt David Hodge, 2/14LHR (QMI), blitzed the 6.2km course in a scorching 22min 25sec.

Pte Mili Tankosic brought home the

double for the cavalry by clocking the course in 28.27.

2/14 LHR (QMI)’s combined effort won the trifecta along with the Champion Unit’s trophy for the cross country challenge over Heartbreak Hill.

Lt Hodge fought sickness to contest the race for his unit – having withdrawn from the ADF triathlon the previous weekend with the flu.

As the defending ADF triathlon champion from 2007 and 2008 (it wasn’t run in 2009), Lt Hodge is quali-fied to say “it was tough”.

“Heartbreak Hill was tough and I

knew Lt-Col Gavin Keating, HQ 1 Div, and Cpl Matt Hennessey were right behind me.”

It was an equally impressive effort for Pte Tankosic’s first ever cross coun-try after backing up from a third plac-ing at the ADF triathlon.

“I just put in and keep going – it’s worth it in the end. Luckily my strength is going up hills,” she said.

It was an impressive effort from the hundreds of competitors from 7 Bde and across the broader Gallipoli Barracks community who turned out for the annual race.

An obviously pleased CO 2/14 LHR (QMI) Lt-Col Christopher Mills said it was a great unit effort. “This is a credit to the individuals involved and the regi-ment as a whole – it’s a terrific effort,” Lt-Col Mills said.

Men’s open: Lt David Lodge, 2/14 LHR (QMI) 22.25; Cpl Matt Hennessey, 7CSSB, 22.58; Pte Nicholas Pratt, 6RAR, 23.00. Women’s open: Pte Mili Tankosic, 2/14 LHR (QMI), 28.27; Sgt Bernie Rogash, 7CSSB, 31.40; Cpl Kate Donnelly, 7CSSB, 32.39. Unit results: 2/14 LHR (QMI); 8/9RAR; 6RAR; HQ 7 Bde; 2CER; 7CSSB; 1 Fd Regt; 139 Sig Sqn.

Light Horse’s champion gallopToo good: Lt David Hodge heads for the finish line in the 7 Bde cross country.Photo by WO2 Graham McBean



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SPORT 35Army April 15, 2010

By Cpl Zenith King

COMBINED Minor Units (CMU) dominated the water as Townsville-based soldiers battled it out in the annual 3 Bde swimming carnival at Lavarack Barracks.

Taking both champion unit in the males division and champion female swimmer, CMU, made up of swim-mers from 5 Avn Regt, LBMC, HQ 3 Bde and A Coy 1 MP Pl, defied the odds and succeeded with only a handful of swimmers.

The best competitors from across the brigade were on display for the March 18 event. Most qualified based on their achievements at unit level competitions held earlier this year.

Psychologist Capt Amy Curtis, CMU, was awarded the title of champion female and 3 CSR’s Lt Daniel Groves won champion male.

Capt Curtis who swam in carni-vals during her school years said she decided to compete for fun and to get involved with other 3 Bde units.

“It’s surprising and exciting to win, given the number of other good female swimmers at the carnival,” Capt Curtis said.

“It’s lots of fun to be part of a small team, especially one that per-formed so well overall.”

Lt Groves, 3CSR, who competed in Surf Life Saving events as a teen-ager and played water polo at ADFA said he competed for his unit, to give them the best chance of winning.

“It feels really good to win. The amount of support you get from your colleagues and mates is excellent,” Lt Groves said.

3CSSB females proved once again they are a force to be reckoned with after taking out the female divi-sion for the eighth year running.

CMU took out male division for the champion unit.

RESULTS: Male unit: CMU 66, 1RAR 54, 3CSR 52. Champion male: 1st – Lt Daniel Groves, 3CSR; 2nd – Lt Bryce Turner, CMU (A Coy 1MP); and Pte Phillips 1RAR; 3rd – Pte Jesse Kuskopf, CMU (LBMC). Female unit: 3CSSB 72, CMU 69, 3CER 50. Champion female: 1st – Capt Amy Curtis, CMU (PSS-NQ), 2nd – Pte Daniela Gomez 3CSSB, 3rd – Pte Mellissa Madden B Sqn.

Minor units in swim

Splashing out: Pte Kirsty Roots, 3CER, competes in the women’s 50m breaststroke event, left, while Pte James Cunningham, 1RAR, takes on the butterfly lap during the 100m medley. Photos by LCpl Mark Doran

EIGHTY-EIGHT of Australia’s best AFL footballers have written heartfelt messages on guernseys destined to be worn by ADF personnel in the MEAO, Solomon Islands and East Timor.

Along with six Sherrin footballs, the guernseys are gifts from the AFL to the ADF to help promote the Telstra mes-sage to the troops on Anzac Day.

Outside of AFL grand final day, Anzac Day is the biggest occasion on the AFL calendar, with AFL clubs, play-ers and fans embracing the opportunity to show their respect and appreciation to Australian servicemen and women who have served or are serving overseas.

The guernseys come from four teams scheduled to play on Anzac Day – Richmond and Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, and Essendon and Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Veteran Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher’s (pictured) message to the troops read: “Keep safe everyone. It’s an honour to play for you on Anzac Day.”

ADF representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force were given VIP treatment when they attended the guern-sey-signing day by Richmond at Punt Rd Oval last month.

Army was represented by Sgt Daniel van Emmerik, HQ JLC, who said he was thrilled to see the AFL getting behind the troops and building on the Anzac Day tradition by adding another match to the now-entrenched Collingwood-Essendon MCG blockbuster.

“These matches are a celebration of

our freedom and given to us by those that have gone before and protected by those that now serve,” he said.

The 22 Essendon and 22 Collingwood guernseys and two footballs are des-tined for the Middle East, 11 Richmond guernseys and 11 Fremantle guernseys and two balls will go to East Timor, and 11 Richmond guernseys and 11 Fremantle guernseys and two balls will go to Solomon Islands.

Meanwhile, Army is gunning for Navy’s two titles at the Australian Services Australian Football Association (ASAFA) Championships in Melbourne this week, with its women firing off the first shots in the psychological battle for supremacy.

Army women, fielding a stronger team this year, beat Navy in the final of the recent Kapooka 12s tournament.

“The Army teams are well prepared for the 2010 championships,” executive officer of the Army Australian Football Association Col Andrew Fidge said.

“We have an excellent coaching team and solid squads.”

The championships run from April 14-18 at Whitten Oval. An added incen-tive for the men this year is the annual Services Challenge against the Australian Combined Emergency Services (ACES) team, which will be a curtain-raiser to the Port Adelaide v St Kilda match at Adelaide Oval on the ANZAC weekend.

Contact [email protected] or phone (02)6265 7117 or 0413 044 796 for fur-ther information on ASAFA.

Heartfelt: Essendon’s Dustin Fletcher signs his jumper for the troops.

Message in a jumper

April 15, 2010

Anzac Day gift to troops

MARKTIME

Page 35

OLYMPIC EFFORT

Triathletes go distance

Page 34

The pack flies: Richmond player Daniel Jackson attempts to spoil the mark of PO Adam Bamford while Sgt Daniel van Emmerik tackles from behind, Sqn-Ldr Tim Stacey misjudges the ball from in front and fellow Tiger Brett Delidio watches from the back.

Documents

Edition 1233 April 15, 2010 LLUCKY UCKY EESCAPESCAPE · 2015-03-16 · Edition 1233 April 15, 2010 Cpl Sandra Baulch LLUCKY UCKY EESCAPESCAPE FIRST FORUM FOR WOUNDED DIGGERS Cpl Bradley