Australia’s sharpest shooters take on the world in the annual Australia’s sharpest shooters take on the world in the annual skill at arms meeting at Puckapunyal

Edition 1283 June 7, 2012

TOP SHOTSTOP SHOTSCentrepieceCentrepiece

In the worksMajor construction

project for Holswothy Barracks

PAGE 5

The troops of 3RAR-led MTF 5 finish their final preparations

ahead of deployment

Afghan-bound

PAGE 3

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On the mark: Cpl Scott Tampalini, of 7RAR, spots for his partner during the sniper

competition at AASAM.Photo by Sgt John Waddell

Army June 7, 2012NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews2

The Soldiers’ Newspaper

DirectorDavid Edlington: (02) 6265 4650

EDITORIALEditorJohn Wellfare: (02) 6266 7609Production EditorSharon Palmer: (02) 6266 7612ReportersSgt Andrew Hetherington: (02) 6266 7614Cpl Max Bree: (02) 6266 7608Cpl Nick Wiseman: (02) 6265 4140 LS Paul Berry: (02) 6266 7606Cpl Mark Doran: (02) 6265 1304LAC Bill Solomou: (02) 6265 1355Andrew Stackpool: (02) 6266 7611

SydneyMichael Brooke (reporter): (02) 9359 2494Bill Cunneen (photographer): 0402 155 220CONTACT USEmail: armynews@defencenews.gov.auFax: (02) 6266 7701Mail: The Editor, Army, R8-LG-044, PO Box 7909, Department of Defence, ACT 2600Website: www.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsADVERTISING / SUBSCRIPTIONSAdvertising managerTim Asher: (07) 3332 7651 or 0459 842 551Email: advertising@defencenews.gov.auAssistant manager advertising / subscriptionsTrish Dillon: (02) 6266 7607Email: tdillon@defencenews.gov.au

DISCLAIMERArmy is published fortnightly by the Directorate of Defence News. 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 News approval and the Directorate of Defence News may, at its discre-tion, 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 not in accordance with the instructions received by the Directorate of Defence News. The fact that an advertisement is accepted for publica-tion does not mean that the product or service is endorsed by the Department of Defence or Army.

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SOLDIERS have a chance to improve ceremonial and general dress uniforms by participating in an online survey.

The survey is the first step in Phase Three of the uniform review, which has been under way since 2009.

DCA Maj-Gen Angus Campbell sent emails to all sol-diers on May 28 inviting them to participate in the survey, which is available on the DRN.

“The survey will take approxi-mately 20 minutes to complete,” Maj-Gen Campbell said. “It will inform decision makers of your opinion on our general dress uniforms (polyesters) and asks detailed questions on accoutre-ments, placement of rank and design, size range, comfort and fit.

“Each question is accompanied

by a free text box to provide you with maximum flexibility to pro-vide your opinions in detail.”

He said the survey was an opportunity for all members of the Army to have a say on future uniforms.

“While Army’s development of ceremonial and general dress uni-forms must meet functionality and cost considerations, your partici-pation will allow your input into our uniform identity and ensure Army takes your advice into con-sideration.”

The survey closes on July 13, after which concept designs will be produced based on the input received.

The concepts will be presented in a road show touring major bases in 2013, which will help decide the future general dress uniforms.

Ceremonial dress survey has started

Uniform changes coming� Many amendments are based on feedback from soldiersREMOVAL of the Rising Sun Badge from the Grade 2 slouch hat and permission to wear CA-approved non-issue boots in barracks are among amendments to Army Standing Orders for Dress that will come into effect from July 1.

RSM-A WO Dave Ashley said controversy surrounding some of the amendments had mostly been due to a misinterpretation of the reasons for and nature of the changes.

“The Grade 2 slouch hat is the hat worn with working and protec-tive dress, and sometimes in the field environment,” he said.

“The intention and effect of this change is to ensure Army’s emblem cannot be considered to be ever worn in a disrespectful manner.

“The change will also ensure Army’s emblem is not damaged or marked by contact with the ground.”

WO Ashley said the chang-es were not being made to save money.

“The Ris ing Sun Badge will continue to be worn on the upturned brim of the Grade 1 slouch hat – the hat worn on parade and ceremonial occasions,” he said.

“The number of Rising Sun Badges issued to troops will not be reduced and unused badges will not be required to be returned to stock.

“The implementation date of July 1 is not in any way connected to the new financial year, cost cut-ting or the budget – it is to enable the changes to be promulgated through formal amendment of the Army Standing Orders for Dress.”

The other controversial change related to allowing a maximum of four commendation badges to be worn on ceremonial and dress uniforms, which WO Ashley said some had misinterpreted to be a reduction.

“This is an increase in the num-ber of commendation badges per-mitted to be worn,” he said.

“Officers and soldiers will now be able to wear up to a maximum of four commendation badges on their ceremonial and barracks dress uniforms, including badges awarded at the same level and ser-vice – previously this was one.”

The RSM-A said many of the changes were the result of feed-back and direct requests from sol-diers. He encouraged all personnel to participate in a survey on cer-emonial dress currently being run through the ASOD website.

RISING SUN BADGE

THE Rising Sun Badge will no longer be worn on the downturned brim of the Grade 2 slouch hat.

The intention of this change is to ensure Army’s emblem cannot be considered to be ever worn in a disrespectful manner.

The Rising Sun Badge will con-tinue to be worn on the upturned brim of the Grade 1 slouch hat – the hat worn when on parade or on cer-emonial occasions. In this case the badge can be viewed directly and in the open, and will not be marked or damaged.

The number of badges issued to troops will not be reduced and unused badges will not be required to be returned to stock. The change is consistent with the manner the Rising Sun Badge, in its several forms, has been worn with the slouch hat over the majority of Army’s history.

NON-ISSUE COMBAT BOOTS

ALL ranks may now wear CA-approved, non-issue combat boots in barracks and as dress

of the day. Previously these

types of boots were only authorised to be worn in the field environment.

The intention of this change is to

allow these types of boots to be broken in for

safe and com-fortable wear and to allow the boots to be worn in field-type

training, but in the barracks environment.

This change was made in response to input and suggestions from soldiers.

MEMORIAL BRACELETS

SOLDIERS will now be authorised to wear killed in action memorial

bracelets to remember fallen mates with all forms of dress, except, for obvious safety reasons, PT dress.

The intention of this change is to recognise, when wearing uniform, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

This change was suggested by a sapper on behalf of all soldiers, formalised through the chain of com-mand and approved by the CA.

The design and rules for wearing the bracelets will be authorised in Army Standing Orders for Dress on July 1.

SAFARI SUITOFFICERS in representational posi-tions, such as embassies, in tropi-cal climates overseas will now be authorised to wear the Safari Suit.

The intention of this change is to allow personnel in these positions, when overseas, to have access to a suitable and appropriate form of dress in the exercise of their duties and responsibilities.

This change was initiated at the suggestion of personnel posted to these representational positions.

EMU PLUMESEMU Plumes may now be worn on the slouch hat by Armoured Corps officers who have been promoted to colonel or senior officer ranks, and by senior warrant officers appointed to Tier C or Tier D appointments.

The intention of this change is to allow senior Armoured Corps members to continue to wear the accoutrements of their corps when appointed to senior positions within Army.

This change was suggested by senior Armoured Corps officers.

AVIATION SLOUCH HAT

THE Grade 2 slouch hat will now be worn by Army Aviation person-nel wearing flying suits when not engaged in duties in the field, on tar-mac areas or on flying duty.

Previously Army Aviation per-sonnel wearing flying suits were restricted to the utility or bush hat. This change will provide consistency of head dress and was requested by Army’s aviation community.

PACE STICKTHE Pace Stick, the symbol of authority for regimental sergeant majors, may now be carried on operations when performing ceremo-nial and other specified duties and responsibilities and when not in the tactical environment.

The intention of this change is to ensure the proper and appropriate ceremonial support is provided while in operational areas.

This change was suggested by regimental sergeant majors.

BADGES

SOLDIERS will now be able to wear up to a maximum of four com-menda-tion badges on cer-emonial and barracks dress uniforms, including badges awarded at the same level and ser-vice.

Multiple commendation badges can be awarded at the bronze, silver and gold level and from all services.

The intention of this change is to maximise the number of commenda-tion badges authorised to be worn without interfering with the functional-

ity of the uniform or damaging the shirt or jacket.

This is an increase in the number of com-mendation badges

permitted to be worn. This change was

suggested through the chain

of command.

AMENDMENTS TAKING EFFECT JULY 1

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Army June 7, 2012 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 3

PTE TJ Findlay, of MTF 4, was wound-ed in a secondary explosion while rescu-ing an Afghan soldier from a vehicle which hit an IED in Uruzgan province on May 29.

The Afghan soldier was in a stable condition after he and Pte Findlay were evacuated to Tarin Kot. Pte Findlay returned to light duties within a few days of the incident, which occurred during a joint patrol in the Char Chineh District.

Acting Joint Operations Chief RAdm Steve Gilmore said an Afghan National Army vehicle carrying munitions hit an IED during the patrol.

“Initial reports suggest an Australian soldier near the vehicle was knocked to the ground in the explosion,” RAdm Gilmore said.

“He reacted quickly and moved to the damaged vehicle to rescue a wounded Afghan soldier inside.

“After saving the Afghan soldier, the Australian was wounded when the vehi-cle exploded.

“The Australian soldier’s quick think-ing saved another man’s life.”

Australian wounded after daring rescue

Recovering: Pte TJ Findlay has returned to light duties after being wounded while rescuing an Afghan colleague from a burning vehicle loaded with munitions. Photo by Cpl Hamish Paterson

TRANSITION to Afghan-led secu-rity in Uruzgan province will be overseen by an Australian command-er when leadership of Combined Team – Uruzgan (CT-U) passes to Australia later this year.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and CDF Gen David Hurley announced the planned leadership change on May 31.

G e n D av i d H u r l ey s a i d Australian troop numbers in Afghanistan would not be affected and the US commitment to CT-U would also remain the same.

The US will continue to provide helicopter, medical and headquar-ters support.

Australia has been a major con-tributor to CT-U, in particular with the Mentoring Task Force, since its inception in 2010.

Mr Smith said leadership of the CT-U would be a positive part of the transition of security respon-sibility from ISAF to the Afghan National Security Forces.

“Australia sees this as the appro-priate time to take the leadership role in Uruzgan province, to help ensure that transition in Uruzgan over the subsequent 12 to 18 month period [from mid-year] is effected in a seamless way,” Mr Smith said.

“Our experience in the province across the security, governance and

development lines of operations means that we are well placed to deal with any issues that may arise leading up to the transition pro-cess.”

Gen Hurley said the next two years would be crucial to the suc-cess of the Australian mission in Afghanistan.

“Over the next two years, the force will be conducting a number of concurrent, complex and inte-grated operations,” he said.

“These include the transition to the Afghan National Security Forces’ lead for security, the extraction of ADF personnel and their equipment from the prov-

ince, preparation for whatever the Government may decide will be Australia’s commitment after the transition process in 2014, and sup-port to the whole-of-government transition of the programs of work it delivers through Uruzgan to Afghanistan and abroad.

“The weight of the effort in the transition still falls on Australia’s activities to transition lead to the [Afghan National Army’s] 4th Bde.

“This decision puts us in the driving seat to control that interac-tion over the next year or so.”

CT-U is made up of troops from Afghanistan, Australia, Singapore, Slovakia and the US.

� Australia to take command of Combined Team – Uruzgan late this year

Leading the team

Afghanistan-bound troops say goodbye

Capt Jillian Gaze

HUNDREDS of supporters gathered on May 23 to farewell 350 members of MTF 5 who will deploy to Afghanistan in the coming weeks.

Led by 3RAR, the battle group includes sol-diers from Townsville’s 3 Bde, Brisbane’s 7 Bde and several other units across Australia.

CO MTF 5 Lt-Col Trent Scott said the 3RAR Battle Group members were ready and eager to make a contribution.

“We have received the highest level of train-ing, which has prepared us well,” he said.

“We have the finest equipment and I know that the men and women in the 3RAR Battle Group are going to do an excellent job.”

Attending the parade was Forces Commander Maj-Gen Michael Slater, who told the troops their families back home would be supported during their deployment.

“If you need anything, please let us know, as we cannot help you unless we know you need our support.”

Cfn Rhys Dubberley will be on his first deployment, leaving behind his partner Rory Modena and two children Miyu, 12, and Vincent, 5.

“I don’t think you’ll ever really get used to it,” Ms Modena said. “We have had practice with him going away for training. We’re very proud of him.”

The battle group’s role will be to mentor the Afghan National Army’s 4th Brigade and build its ability to provide security in Uruzgan province.

The soldiers will play an important role as Australia transitions security responsibility to the Afghans over the next 18 months.

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Army June 7, 2012NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews4

Journey of award wins� 16RWAR a finalist in safety awardsA SAFETY manage-ment system which reduced injuries by 72 per cent earned 16RWAR a place in the finals but wasn’t enough to secure a win in the Safe Work Australia Awards held at Parliament House in Canberra last month.

The battalion was nominated in the “best workplace health and safety management sys-tem – public sector” cat-egory, which recognises a demonstrated com-mitment to continuous improvement of work health and safety through the implementation of an integrated systems approach.

Being nominated for the Safe Work Australia Awards was the final step in a long list of accolades, which started with the ArmySAFE Awards.

App ly ing the Un i t Gu ide to ArmySAFE manual as a basis for their comprehensive system, 16RWAR reduced injuries by 72 per cent from 2009 to 2010.

After winning the ArmySAFE Awards, the battalion was entered into the Defence Work Health and Safety Awards, which it also won, securing a nomination and ultimately winning the top prize in the Best Workplace Health and Safety Management System category at the Comcare Awards in Melbourne last year.

The Comcare win set the battalion up as a finalist in the Safe Work Australia Awards, but the top prize in the hotly contested category went to Energex of Queensland.

A battalion safety review in 2009 revealed a workable system, but one that was underdeveloped and inconsistently applied.

The unit set about developing a cus-tomised health and safety management system to suit its part-time workforce.

The key, according to then-CO Lt-Col David Jones, was integrating the system into the unit’s practices rather than “just bolting it on as an extra”.

“We gained buy-in from our leader-ship group and this cascaded down,” he said. “We implemented a communications strategy to explain why we needed to change and people progressively came on board to sponsor their little part of what they were doing to improve safety.”

For more information on the ArmySAFE Awards, go to http://intranet.defence.gov.au/armyweb/sites/ARMYSAFE/

Finalists: From left, Col David Harris, Maj-Gen Jeffery Sengelman, Maj Chris Adams and Louise Mortimer attended the Safe Work Australia Awards. Photo provided by Safe Work Australia

Townsville troops returnTHE Townsville community officially wel-comed home more than 1100 troops who have recently returned from the Middle East Area of Operations and East Timor.

Soldiers from several Townsville-based units have returned from operations in the past six months, including Australian Task Force 9 which consisted of MTF 3, Force Support Unit, Force Communications Unit and Combined Team – Uruzgan.

Also welcomed home in the parade were members from Artillery Training Team Kabul, Timor Leste Task Group, Rotary Wing Group and Timor Leste Aviation Group.

Photo by Sgt Rachel Ingram

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THE CA’s Senior Advisory Committee convened on May 18 and discussed a range of issues including Exercise Hamel, hospitality and catering issues and upcoming mess reform by Defence.

One of the key outcomes from the lat-est committee briefing was the decision made by CA to further explore several initiatives, including the development of a flexible working arrangement program,

enabling members to purchase leave. An initiative amending housing policy will also be considered further.

The committee was also briefed on the outcomes of Army Women’s Workshop, which was held on May 1-2 in Canberra.

The workshop sought to gain an insight into the experiences and opinions of Army personnel across a range of important retention issues.

Leaders look at new initiatives

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Army June 7, 2012 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 5

Engineer school to move� Construction to accommodate SME’s move to Holsworthy Barracks, as well as other new area facilities

PROPOSED FACILITIES� A base entry precinct to improve secu-

rity and ease traffic congestion on Heathcote Road.

� New live-in accommodation and local training areas for SME.

� A new 5 Bde multi-user depot.� A new Holsworthy area mess.� A new Holsworthy physical fitness

complex.� A new area chapel.� Working accommodation for ADF cadets.

Images are artists’ impressions SME training facilities.

Explosives detection dog kennels.

New SME headquarters building.

Holsworthy area chapel.

A MAJOR construction project proposes to relocate 13 Defence units and four other facilities from Steele Barracks in Moorebank to nearby Holsworthy Barracks over the next three years.

The School of Military Engineering (SME) is the major unit to make the move, with the project to include construction of several new facilities.

The proposed new facilities will include a Holsworthy area mess, a physical fitness com-plex, an area chapel, a 5 Bde multi-user depot, and accommodation and training facilities for SME.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, construc-tion is due to start late this year and last until late 2015, but unit relocations from Moorebank must be complete by the end of 2014 to allow development to start in 2015 of the Moorebank intermodal container freight terminal.

The terminal, to be built on the Steele Barracks site, aims to reduce road freight traf-fic in Sydney and the first stage is planned to be operational by mid 2017.

The first completed facilities at Holsworthy will be occupied from 2014, while the 5 Bde buildings and the new physical fitness complex will be completed in mid-to-late 2015.

As part of the staged construction, some of the units involved will occupy temporary facili-ties before moving into their new buildings.

The amalgamation of construction engineers under 6ESR means 17 Const Sqn, currently located at Holsworthy Barracks is expected to move to RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland as part of another construction project awaiting approval.

SME has been based at Steele Barracks since 1940.

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NAPOLEAN’S army may have “marched on its stomach”, but in the modern era it’s money that keeps the tank tracks turning.

After more than five years as the Army’s top public servant, responsible for budget, financial governance and managing Army public servants, the Director General Resource Management, Adam Culley, is moving on.

Starting with Defence in 1988, he has enjoyed many diverse jobs including a posting to Washington, where he worked on the acquisition of the M1 Abrams before finding himself in the Army’s resource management position since September 2006.

Mr Culley said being the most senior public servant in a service group had been a great journey and a lot of fun.

“I’ve met some great characters dur-ing my time within the Army group,” he said.

“Although I’m remaining within Defence, I will miss the Army group.”

Mr Culley found himself working in Army group after a phone call from a supervisor asking him to come and talk about his career.

Upon walking into the office he was informed that the Director General

Resource Management was retiring and he could expect to be in the position him-self within two months.

“The meeting finished quickly, advis-ing me the CA (Lt-Gen Peter Leahy at the time) wanted to see me for a chat in 20 minutes,” Mr Culley said.

“It could be seen as a little different compared to a military posting and not all jobs work like that, but that’s how I came into this one.”

Mr Culley said the five and three quarter years had been a fantastic experi-ence.

“As public servants we need to remember why we’re here, but you don’t lose sight of the fact that you’re part of a great institution – the Australian Army,” he said.

“One thing I have found in this job is the appreciation of the great people in the organisation at all levels.”

To celebrate his time in Army group, his peers organised a tour of the WTSS system for a shoot with coaching from members of the Army Financial Services Unit.

Mr Culley will continue to serve in Defence on temporary promotion to the Chief Financial Officer group and is looking forward to new challenges.

Ian Donoghue will be the Army’s new Director General Resource Management from June 12.

Resource manager moves on� Adam Culley managed Army’s mega-budget

Army June 7, 2012NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews6

Shooting ahead: Lt Jitendra Khatri gives outgoing Army resource manager Adam Culley some tips during a shoot at the Duntroon WTSS facility.

Money manager: As Director General Resource Management, Adam Culley was responsible for the Army’s budget, financial governance and public servants. Photos by Cpl Nick Wiseman

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Army June 7, 2012 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 7

THE Pozieres Remembrance Association is raffling a motorbike in a bid to raise funds for ongoing commem-orations at the French village.

More than 7000 Australians were killed and 16,000 wounded in the battle for Pozieres, part of the Somme offensive in 1916.

Annual commemoration services in the first two weekends of July have in the past been funded entirely by the village of Pozieres. The Pozieres Remembrance Association now raises funds to support them.

Association president Barry Gracey said raffling the donated Suzuki VZR 1800 Boulevard Cruiser, valued at $19,000, would fund services at the village until the bat-tle’s 99th anniversary in 2015.

“It will be raffled off with 7000 tickets being sold – each one in memory of a soldier who died at Pozieres,” he said.

“If the people of Pozieres are forced by financial reasons to stop the annual commemoration, then the sacrifice of these men will be left in the dusty volumes of war history.”

Mr Gracey said future fundraising initiatives would aim to increase the prominence of Pozieres.

Raffle tickets cost $5 and can be purchased online at www.pozieresremembered.com.au

Ride to help remembrance

Up for grabs: This motorbike is being raffled to raise funds for Pozieres commemorations.

Peter Blanchonette and Robert King

ARMY and Navy pilots have been help-ing the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) fine tune prototype symbology used for head-mounted dis-plays on MRH 90 helicopters.

In the helicopters, flight symbology conveys key information such as aircraft speed and attitude to pilots through the helmet-mounted sight display.

DSTO scientist Eleanore Tracey said the pilots tested the prototype symbol-ogy in a simulator at the organisation’s Melbourne labs, to create the most realis-tic operational environment possible.

“The simulation laboratory accurately replicates the real aircraft, including the cockpit displays and flight controls,” Ms Tracey said.

Another scientist on the project, Dr Geoff Eberle, said the seven pilots flew air-mobile scenarios during the trial, as well as several take offs and landings on a realistic model of a landing helicopter dock.

Project Air 9000 will deliver 46 MRH 90 helicopters to replace the Sea Kings and Black Hawks.

The MRH 90 includes a suite of mod-ern systems, such as weather radar, for-ward-looking infrared camera, a helmet-mounted sight display and a digital map generator.

DSTO’s report on the simulation trial results and recommendations will soon be delivered to Air 9000 Phase 2/4/6.

Symbol solutions� Scientists work with pilots to fine tune data presentation in new choppers

Just like the real thing: Pilots Leut Ben White and Capt Daniel Mearns check out the cockpit of DSTO’s MRH 90 simulator in Melbourne while evaluating trial symbology for use in the aircraft (pictured inset).

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Army June 7, 2012NEWS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews8

Cpl Max Bree

A CANBERRA-based reservist will soon dispense justice after accepting an appointment to the ACT Magistrates Court on May 9.

Col Bernadette Boss, currently studying at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, is due to start as an ACT Magistrate mid-June.

While being humbled and a bit daunted by the news, Col Boss said her time in the Army had given her a good background for the new job.

“Military training is a really good foundation for a magistrate,” Col Boss said.

“The training prepares you for mak-ing decisions under pressure and it develops your people skills.

“This is a crucial skill when working with people in the community.

“Being in the military ... I think we either attract people with a strong, high-

ly developed sense of justice or it grows out of service.”

Col Boss, now a reserve signals officer, served in the regular Army as a legal officer from 1996-2002 and has worked in the UK and Australia as a barrister.

She also holds a PhD in law from the University of Sydney in the areas of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

“Being a magistrate is a bit like going from being a football player to being a referee,” she said. “You get to run onto the pitch, but you control the game and don’t take sides.

“I know I’m going to be drink-ing from the fire hose for the first few months but I’m up for the challenge.”

Col Boss will be the second serving military officer appointed to the current bench of the ACT Magistrates Court after Col Peter Morrison’s appointment in February.

Boss raising the bar in Canberra

� New team for embassy assistance missions

Laying down the law: Reservist Col Bernadette Boss will take up her position as an ACT magistrate next month. Photo by Cpl Max Bree

LAC Bill Solomou

THE ADF has a new crisis response team for short-notice Defence assistance to Australian high commissions or embassies to protect the national interest.

The ADF Support and Response Team (SRT) replaced the Defence Supplementation Staff (DSS) from April 2.

The team will rapidly deploy to help the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in crisis response. It will provide military skills, knowledge and experience to the immediate and follow-on responses as a crisis unfolds.

The SRT will provide an on-the-ground link between DFAT and the ADF, ensuring the military capability can be used effectively.

Under the new structure, the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (DJFHQ) will coordinate team per-sonnel, readiness and certification.

Lt-Col Jeremy King, of the HQJOC Joint Control Centre, said as a result of lessons from Operation Pakistan Assist II and Egypt last year, a review of the DSS was done to refine processes.

“We looked at the DSS program’s strengths and weaknesses then devel-oped a new team and a new capabil-ity to better support DFAT,” Lt-Col King said.

Handy in crises

“We will deploy to an Australian embassy or high commission and provide specialist military skills, knowledge and experience to ena-ble whole-of-government and mili-tary planning on the ground and in Australia,” he said.

SRT will comprise two teams, and the structure will be situation specific.

“We are pulling team members from specific units – coordinated by DJFHQ – to have the best people suited to the roles,” Lt-Col King said.

He said 54 personnel from vari-ous units attended the first SRT training at HQJOC in late March.

“It was a really good turnout and

ideal to prepare for this new capabil-ity.”

As SO1 of Logistics Branch at HQ 1 Div, Lt-Col Ian Ford is des-ignated as an SRT commander. He completed the training to prepare him for the various SRT roles that may occur. His key role is assist-ing the head of mission in crisis response and planning.

“It is important that we are able to quickly support any crisis over-seas that may affect Australians,” Lt-Col Ford said.

He was looking forward to the role.

“It’s going to be quite interesting and challenging,” he said.

Response: The newly established Support and Response Team will rapidly deploy to support Australian embassies in a crisis, such as political turmoil or humanitarian disaster.

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Army June 7, 2012 NEWSwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 9

Cpl Nick Wiseman

THE Shadow 200 Tact ica l Unmanned Aerial System was officially unveiled to the public for the first time at the Heli and UV Pacific conference and exhibition on May 24.

The conference is the largest ded-icated helicopter and unmanned sys-tems event in the region and attracts civil and military aviation specialists.

CO 20 STA Regt Lt-Col Nathan Loynes said it was important to draw attention to the Shadow 200 and its benefits for the Army.

“Using this event highlights the success we’ve had with the project, particularly with the second system,” he said.

“We received the second system a year early thanks to the cooperation of the US.”

The first system was delivered

to Australia in mid-2011 and was deployed to Afghanistan at the end of the year.

The second system will remain in Australia for training and certifying troops deploying to the Middle East Area of Operations in the future.

Lt-Col Loynes said although the Shadow 200 was a high-tech piece of equipment, the greatest strength of the system was his people.

“They have the flexibility to

change to the needs of the war fight-er on the ground,” he said.

With the potential draw down of Australian troops in Afghanistan in 2013, 20 STA Regt is working to get the Shadow system approved for use at major military training grounds within Australia.

Soldiers participating in major exercises in the future can expect to be coordinating with unmanned aerial support.

Out of the shadows� New unmanned aerial system put on public display for the first time

On display: CO 20 STA Regt Lt-Col Nathan Loynes, left, and two of his soldiers, Gnr Justin Serong and LBdr Aaron Bamford, officially unveil the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System at the Heli and UV Pacific conference and exhibition on the Gold Coast.Photo by Cpl Nick Wiseman

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AUSTRALIAN and New Zealand Defence Forces personnel will help Papual New Guinea with its election period over the next month.

The ADF will mostly provide aviation support, transporting personnel, ballot boxes and election materials to remote locations in PNG using both fixed-wing Air Force aircraft and Army helicopters.

A Navy landing craft will also support the operation by delivering material and personnel to coastal areas.

The Defence support, which comes at the request of the Papua New Guinea government, will complement support being provided by other Australian gov-ernment agencies, including AusAID, the Australian Electoral Commission, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Civilian Corps.

Support for PNG elections

Close neighbours: CA Lt-Gen David Morrison surveys the Papua New Guinea landscape during an Anzac Day visit to Kokoda. Photo by Cpl Nick Wiseman

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Army June 7, 2012WORLD www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews10

TELL US YOUR STORY

Nobody knows the inside scoop like

the soldier on the ground.

If you have an interesting story to tell, get in touch with Army and get it in print.

We can support you with photographs, writing and chain of command approvals.

Contact the editorial team by email at

armynews@defencenews.gov.au

Maj Cameron Jamieson

AUSTRALIAN personnel are prov-ing they are made of “the white stuff”, embarking as part of a major international contingent on Pacific Partnership 2012.

A team of 29 soldiers, sailors, air-men and airwomen has joined more than 1000 international military and non-government organisation (NGO) personnel aboard the massive white-painted US hospital ship USNS Mercy for the four-month humanitarian mis-sion.

Another 12 engineers are already working on building an emergency care facility and renovating a clinic on the Indonesian island of Talaud as part of the same mission.

Australian contingent commander Cmdr Ken Walters said the contingent had been warmly welcomed on board.

“We are a truly integrated force, with our people working side by side with people from the US, 13 partner nations and 23 NGOs,” he said.

“The statistics for this mission are staggering, and they are all aimed at making things better for the lives of the people in the host nations we will visit.”

Now in its seventh year, Pacific Partnership is an annual US Pacific Fleet-sponsored training and readi-ness mission drawing together partner nations, host nations and NGOs to cre-ate an Asia-Pacific collective to respond to natural disasters.

During Pacific Partnership 2012 the mission will deliver medical, dental, veterinary and engineering services to locations in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia during two-week stops in each country.

Australia has contributed personnel to Pacific Partnership every year since its inception in 2006.

The white stuff� Aussies embark on US hospital ship for Pacific Partnership 2012

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Army June 7, 2012 WORLDwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 11

MTF 4 has been working with Afghan forces in eastern Uruzgan on a major operation against insurgents, Defence Minister Stephen Smith told parliament on May 24.

Speaking on his return from the NATO/ISAF Summit in Chicago, Mr Smith said MTF 4 personnel continued to work closely with Afghan forces to improve the security situation, including on Operation Hamkari Shamsheer.

“This complex operation was planned from the start by the [ANA] 4th Brigade and involves the clearance of insurgents in an area that in the past has not had a sig-nificant government presence,” Mr Smith said.

“The operation ... will see a new patrol base built, which will mark a permanent ANA presence in that part of the province for the first time.”

Mr Smith said feedback from his most recent trip to Afghanistan and the Chicago Summit confirmed Australia’s transition plans aligned with coalition partners in Afghanistan.

“Progress towards transition to Afghan-led security responsibility is being made in Uruzgan province and across Afghanistan,” he said.

“As we commence the northern fight-ing season, the thoughts of all Australians will be with our forces in Uruzgan and Afghanistan.”

In his update to parliament, Mr Smith also provided detainee management figures

for the first few months since extending the time selected detainees could be held in Australian custody at the initial screening area at Tarin Kot.

Two three-day extensions can be applied to the initial four-day screen-ing period if more detailed assessment is required to determine if a detainee has knowledge that could help with force pro-tection.

“Around 25 per cent of detainees inter-rogated by the ADF have been released within the initial 96-hour period as there was insufficient evidence to support their continued detention,” Mr Smith said.

“The remaining 75 per cent of detain-ees interrogated by the ADF were held in Australian custody within the initial screening area beyond the 96-hour peri-od on an initial three-day comprehensive screening extension.

“Approximately 40 per cent of these detainees remained in Australian custody on a subsequent additional three days com-prehensive screening extension.”

Mr Smith also updated parliament on detainee allegations of mistreatment in Australian custody from August 1, 2010, to May 21 this year.

“There have been 97 allegations of mis-treatment against Australian forces,” he said.

“To date, 82 of these allegations have been considered and have been assessed as unsubstantiated, while 15 allegations remain under investigation.”

Minister gives mission update� NATO/ISAF Summit confirms transition plan

Progress: Defence Minister Stephen Smith highlighted a recent joint MTF 4 and Afghan National Army operation during his most recent update to parliament on Afghanistan. Pictured is Lt Geoffrey Godkin and Lt Naseer Ahmad in the Tangi Valley. Photo by Sgt Mick Davis

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Army June 7, 2012WORLD www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews12

Sgt Mick Davis

ABC journalist Thom Cookes captured the day-to-day of Operation Slipper while embedded with MTF 4 troops in Afghanistan last month.

On his sixth embed in Afghanistan, the expe-rienced foreign correspondent joined Australian soldiers in the Tangi Valley.

He covered several major activities, including a patrol in the village of Kakarak, a community shura and an Afghan National Army-led vehicle checkpoint.

Mr Cookes operates alone, filming, reporting and producing stories without a support crew.

He is pictured here joining Australian troops about to board a US Army Black Hawk.

Reporting from the frontline

Cpl Mark Doran

MILITARY aircraft are constantly fly-ing in and out of Multinational Base Tarin Kot, which keeps the FSU 6 cargo specialists on their toes.

The FSU 6 team at Tarin Kot consists of two terminal operators, one air dis-patcher and two drivers who are respon-sible for receiving all air freight from civilian and military aircraft and deliver-ing it to support Australian units.

A quiet week at the base can include up to seven or eight aircraft delivering freight by Globemaster, Hercules and Chinook, with up to 30,000lbs of cargo received or dispatched each day.

LCpl Scott Callery is a cargo special-ist from 10FSB on his first deployment to Afghanistan. He said arriving in country was a bit surreal at first, but it was mostly what he expected.

“The first day you get here you don’t know where everything is and you think ‘oh my God, we are in a war zone’,” LCpl Callery said.

“I am enjoying it because we are doing our job for real and being busy is good as it makes the days go faster.

“Coalition helicopters are constantly flying around the base and it was awe-some watching a Globemaster land here recently.”

All freight arriving in Afghanistan is scanned and accounted for by the cargo visibility system, which allows customers to track their packages from Australia.

LCpl Callery said on some days the aircraft just kept coming.

“As soon as the freight comes in we try to deliver it as fast as possible to avoid congestion in the terminal,” he said.

“There are no real set work hours. If an aircraft comes in, then there is work to be done, so you just do it – you have to roll with the punches.

“I was just married in December and while I am deployed my wife, Kate, is living near her family and friends in South Australia.

“So even though I have just arrived, I am already counting down the days.”

Bringing in the goods� Cargo specialists handle tonnes every day

Heavy lifting: LCpl Scott Callery is a cargo specialist from 10FSB on his first deployment to Afghanistan. Photo by Cpl Mark Doran

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Army June 7, 2012 WORLDwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 13

BECAUSE the Royal Australian Army Pay Corps is one of the Army’s smallest corps, it’s unusual to have 12 corps members in the one operational location at the same time.

Each of the Pay Corps members currently deployed on Operation Slipper provides key capa-bility requirements to units.

Pay officer Maj Mark Meads said the role of pay clerks extended well beyond making sure peo-ple received their money on time.

“The title Pay Corps is and always has been somewhat misleading,” he said. “Although the provision of pay services to the Army has always been one of the reasons the Pay Corps was raised in 1914, today it is not the only reason why the capability will endure.

The preparation and maintenance of budgets, financial statements, cash flow analysis, accrual accounting, costing and financial analysis, devel-opment and implementation of financial manage-ment systems and the conduct of fraud investiga-tions are among capabilities many forget among other operational requirements.

“There’s also the provision of advice and assis-tance to units and members about pay and allow-ances, providing cash office services to access pay and paying invoices for goods and services,” Maj Meads said.

“These are only some of the tasks that most people would not be aware of that Pay Corps mem-bers provide to support Defence deployments.”

Maj Meads said the corps had always had a financial management role, especially on opera-tions.

“As Army moves further forward in develop-ing Strategic Reform Program initiatives, the skill sets and capabilities of Pay Corps members will become even more important, both on operations and back home in Australia,” he said.

Making deployments pay� A small number of pay clerks and officers provide a lot of financial services while deployed to the Middle East

Cashing in: Pay Corps specialists Maj Brinley Williams, left, and Sgt Rebecca Kleid are among a small contingent of financial specialists based at Multinational Base Tarin Kot. Photo by Cpl Raymond Vance

Army June 7, 2012 CENTREPIECEwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews14 15

“One of the internationals bet me I couldn’t beat him and I beat him in all 12 matches.– OCdt Correne Seabrook, MUR

Marksmen from around the world converged on Puckapunyal for Australia’s world-renowned military shooting event, Capt Felicity Hamblin reports with photos by Sgt John Waddell.

PTE Reece Ferguson, of 1/19RNSWR, was named Champion Shot of the Army in a hotly con-tested Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting at

Puckapunyal.Beating last year’s champion shot,

Maj Kirk Stone, by just one point to take the title in his sixth year at AASAM, Pte Ferguson said the compe-tition was impossible to predict.

“The rough weather for the cham-pion shot made it very interesting and the scores were much lower than we’d hoped,” he said.

“I like a tight final – nobody could pick a leader from early on so we real-ly had to wait until the last shot was fired.”

Australian Army Combat Shooting Team coach WO1 John Beattie said Pte Ferguson’s win was no mean feat.

“He was one of those dark horses,” WO1 Beattie said.

“His achievements over the seven days were exceptional because there were four other champion shots he had to beat to get there. It’s an absolutely brilliant effort.”

Under the direction of WO1 Beattie and with support from the Combined Arms Training Centre Policy Section, the team has improved consistently over the past five years.

Experienced members such as four-time champion shot WO2 Andrew Munn, of 2RAR, who has been a mem-ber of the team for 20 years, are wel-coming new members and are keen to pass on their experience.

“I’m very happy with the way they’re going. We are developing a bunch of new shooters and the young-er guys are starting to come into their own now, which is really encouraging,” WO1 Beattie said.

Indonesian Sgt Poltak Siahaan won the International Champion Shot for his team, the second year in a row Indonesia has won the competition, with the Australian team placing second among 16 competing nations.

CA Lt-Gen David Morrison, who

visited AASAM twice as the competi-tion unfolded and presented awards to competition winners, said the event had become a major regional engagement activity for the ADF.

“This year we have been able to increase the number of international competitors to include the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. We’re looking forward to seeing a team from China down here in 2013,” he said.

“AASAM will remain a major fea-ture of what we do in the Australian

Army. It shows that if you maintain focus, train properly and apply good marksmanship principles, you can come down here and be competitive at a very high standard.”

In the domestic team competi-tion 2RAR took out the unit weapons championship, and 8/7RVR won the reserve infantry battalion battle ahead of 5/6RVR.

In the formation contest, 3 Bde fin-ished first, narrowly ahead of 4 Bde.

Women make their mark on male-dominated compCapt Felicity Hamblin

ONCE a rare sight at AASAM, female shooters are becom-ing more common and proving

tough competition, with women taking out top place in several events during recent years.

OCdt Correne Seabrook, of Melbourne University Regt, took top honours in the 300m deliberate shoot.

“Before the 300m deliberate, a lot of the guys didn’t believe I was shoot-ing,” she said. “One of the internation-als bet me that I couldn’t beat him and I think I ended up beating him in all 12 matches.”

With two sisters and seven brothers, she is used to some tough competition.

“I was always wrestling with my brothers when I was younger. The girls

would go shopping and the boys and I would go camping, hunting, fishing or wrestling,” she said.

Pte Alix Gabbe, of 4CER, a

member of the Australian Army Combat Shooting Team’s A Team, finished in the top 20 in the

Champion Shot of the Army competi-tion for the second year in a row.

“I think I’ve done really well,” Pte Gabbe said.

“I hoped to do a little bit better, but everyone’s really good this year so I’ve really just tried to stay on par with them. I came 19th out of 146 so I’m pretty happy with that result.”

Pte Gabbe has been shooting for the past few years and with practice has proven herself as a keen competitor in several events.

“I’m an all-rounder. I never won a gold medal in any match but I’ve been consistent across the board,” she said.

“I like the close-quarter practice. I did well on that one but firing with body armour for the ADF part of the competition makes this match a little bit harder.”

In her second year as a competi-tor at AASAM, Lt Natalie Canham, of 4CER, said her favourite events had been the deliberate snap and rapid exposure shoots.

“You don’t get many opportuni-ties like this to engage with interna-tional armies and do this sort of combat shooting,” she said.

“This is a great chance to meet other people and see the different types of weapon systems used by our interna-tional counterparts.”

Malaysian Cpl Ahmed Suraya said she wasn’t intimidated by the men, placing second overall in the pistol event from a field of 240 competitors.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you practise enough you can become a really good shooter,” she said.

““Nobody could pick a leader from early on so we really had to wait until the last

shot was fired.– Pte Reece Ferguson, 1/19RNSWR

Top shots: Australian Army champion shot Pte Reece Ferguson is chaired by runners up at the end of AASAM 2012. Inset, CA Lt-Gen David Morrison presents a slouch hat to international champion shot Indonesian Sgt Poltak Siahaan.

Kit up: Pte Alix Gabbe, of 4CER, fits body armour ahead of the close-quarter practice.

Close range: US and Australian shooters compete side by side in the pistol event.

Capt Felicity Hamblin

A NEW award introduced to the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting (AASAM) this year pays special tribute to 2RAR snip-er Pte Matthew Lambert.

Established in memory of Pte Lambert, who was killed in action in Afghanistan last year, the Matthew Lambert Memorial Trophy is an annual award to be presented to the individual with the highest score on the sniper badge test at AASAM.

WO2 Clinton Vecchio, who helped intro-duce the trophy, was an instructor on Pte Lambert’s first sniper course and said it was an honour to create something that would help recognise the life of the talented soldier.

“The sniping community within Army is a close-knit circle of professionals,” WO2 Vecchio said.

“The loss of Matthew last year was felt by all the battalion sniper cells and not just 2RAR.

“I approached the CO of AASAM with the idea of the Matthew Lambert Memorial Trophy to ensure his sacrifice to this nation is remem-bered by future Army snipers in a tangible way for many years to come.”

Cpl Scott Tampalini, of 7RAR, took out the award this year, placing five points ahead of his partner, Cpl Karlo Kowalczyk.

“We had a really great day of shooting. I think we won because Karlo and I are really competitive, so we kept spurring each other on,” Cpl Tampalini said.

“I’m very happy and honoured to be the first recipient – it’s great to have an award to honour Matthew Lambert to make sure his memory lives on.”

CO AASAM Lt-Col Wally Jensen said he was pleased with the outcome of the sniper competition this year, with the combination of classification range practices and challenging

Snipers shoot to remember

field firing matches testing the full spectrum of sniper skills.

“It is humbling to see the respect and mate-ship exhibited among the sniper community tohonour one of their own,” he said.

“It is our intention to make the sniper com-petition at AASAM one of the leading sniper concentrations in the world and what better way to perpetuate the memory of a brave young Australian than to have a trophy that is keenlycontested by the best marksman that any Armyproduces.”

Matthew Lambert’s friend and team leader,Cpl Todd Young, of 2RAR, said the award wasa fantastic addition to the competition and was a fitting way to remember a man who was liked by everyone.

“He loved his job, loved his shooting and hewas pretty good at it. He’d be stoked to have an award named after him,” Cpl Young said.

Inaugural winner: Cpl Scott Tampalini (left), of 7RAR, receives the Pte Matthew Lambert memorial trophy from CO AASAM Lt-Col Wally Jensen.

Watch and shoot: Snipers Pte Liam Sullivan and Pte Luke Barnes, of 1RAR, prepare to engage targets out to 950m during the panorama match at AASAM 2012.

Pte Matthew Lambert

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Army June 7, 2012LETTERS www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews16

JOINING the Army way back in 1981, I never thought where my life would lead me.

Completing my career as an RASigs officer was not on my list when I joined as a clerk admin.

Many great friendships have been formed and treas-ured ever since.

Sport in the Army was terrific, representing the ADF in cricket with tours overseas, national carnivals and the International Defence Cricket Challenge were among the best times.

Creating the battle of the Ashes in Baghdad January 2005 against the Poms was one to remember. For the record we won.

Anyway life after the ADF has seen us settle in Townsville of all places. Never posted here, just visited.

What does a former RASigs officer do? Sell coffee of course. I winged and bitched about the quality of coffee during my career, so now I own my own mobile cafe.

Thanks Army for a great career of 30 years. If you’re in Townsville and you see my van, come and say hi, tell me your story and get a cuppa.Mick LeckieTownsville

Thanks for 30 great years

I READ with some interest The A-Z Army (special supplement, April 26). I note that there will be changes to the Physical Employment Standards (PES) for each trade to replace the CFA, which are being planned for implementation in 2013.

My understanding is that these changes are in line with women being given access to combat roles, with the aim of setting a PES standard that meets the demand of a trade.

I am also led to believe that these PES are not going to be gender spe-cific but trade specific.

If these PES are trade specific, why is the BFA remaining unchanged as gender specific?

If the PES is considered a high-er standard of fitness, then surely the BFA should also be one standard based on age not gender.

I would like to think at this time of significant change we would take full advantage of setting mutually sup-porting standards to enhance the full capability of Army. WO2 Robert MunroCTC-LiveTownsville

Maj Ryan Holmes, DGPers-A Physical Employment Standards implementation officer, responds: AS DETAILED in DI(A) Pers 148-2 Army Physical Conditioning

Assessment System, the BFA has been developed as a measure of baseline fit-ness for serving Army personnel.

It is intended to confirm a minimal level of fitness for all Army personnel, taking into consideration age and sex.

Gender is a consideration in BFA assessment because the physiological differences between men and women are widely recognised and scientifically proven.

The BFA is a good indicator of health and wellbeing. The BFA is not, however, directly linked to job perfor-mance and pass marks are based on nor-mative data (percentage of population).

Physical Employment Standards (PES) are based on bona fide trade tasks and therefore PES assessments do not make allowances for age, sex, height or weight.

The assessments are absolute in nature and successful completion will indicate physical proficiency of individuals to perform the full range of military duties and trade-specific tasks required of them in their assigned employment categories.

PES are relatively equipment inten-sive and trials have demonstrated that most personnel will need to conduct a period of conditioning to ensure suc-cess.

The essential difference between PES assessments and the BFA is that PES assessments will determine the

right person for a particular trade irre-spective of gender, whereas the BFA is the minimum standard required of all soldiers and an accurate indicator of general health and fitness.

Although they are both physical tests, their outcomes remain mutually exclusive. The BFA is linked to AIRN compliance whereas PES assessments

will be linked to employment in a par-ticular employment category. This will assist Army in reducing the number of injuries associated with employment in certain trades by ensuring personnel demonstrate the physical capacity to perform in those roles.

Consequently, there is a require-ment to maintain both the BFA as a

baseline fitness test and PES assess-ments to demonstrate physical suitabil-ity for a trade.

When PES are implemented in January 2013, PT policy will detail that personnel are to have a current BFA pass prior to commencing PES condi-tioning and assessment for their respec-tive trades.

Genders not equal in fitness tests

New standard: Physical Employment Standards will be implemented from next January as a measure of a person’s suitability for a given job, regardless of age, gender or physical build. Photo by LAC Terry Hartin

Army June 7, 201ww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews

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Army June 7, 2012 TRAININGwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 17

TROOPS undertaking rehabilita-tion at the 3 Bde Soldier Recovery Centre in Townsville took on the elements in a three-day adven-turous training activity at Paluma National Park.

Exercise Recovering Soldier ran from May 15-17 and included a range of physically demanding activities.

The centre OIC, Capt Simon Bowen, said activities ranged from an extended bouldering exercise through a steep creek line, mountain biking, kayaking, swimming and hiking or trail running.

“The ultimate test of endurance was a multi-sport race on day two,” he said. “It was held in an adven-ture race format and all members were able to participate within their restrictions.”

The fastest through the course was PTI and centre CSM WO1 Andy Cutts, who dominated the kayak leg and established a race winning lead before finishing in 1hr 20min, while the rest of the par-ticipants came in over the next 50 minutes.

“The intent of the activity was for it to be physically arduous and mentally challenging for partici-pants,” Capt Bowen said.

“We have three PTIs on staff at the centre, so the PT program is pretty robust and, for safety rea-sons, a significant component of the

lead-up training for Ex Recovering Soldier focused on developing essential kayak and mountain bike skills and improving endurance capacity – some sessions lasted up to five hours.”

Members participating in the activity included a multi-sport athlete who recently had a lung removed due to cancer and wanted to regain fitness, a soldier recover-ing from a severely broken leg who required field exposure time and a soldier undergoing long-term reha-bilitation for significant leg prob-lems requiring a corps transfer.

“All members detached to the Soldier Recovery Centre are consid-ered too complex for their units to manage effectively. The SRC gives another option for unit commanders to provide a place of parade for any length of time depending on their individual situation,” Capt Bowen said.

“Regardless of whether they continue to serve with the Army, the use of adventure training challenges the participants and helps build indi-vidual confidence and self esteem.”

The 3 Bde Soldier Recovery Centre has been in operation from mid last year.

Centres have been established in several major bases throughout Australia to manage soldiers with both physical and non-physical inju-ries undertaking individually tai-lored rehabilitation programs.

The recovery challenge� Adventure training activity forms part of the rehabilitation program for Townsville’s wounded, injured and ill

Looking for adventure: Soldiers from the 3 Bde Soldier Recovery Centre practise assisted recovery drills in kayaks during Ex Recovering Soldier at Paluma National Park. Inset top, PTI WO1 Andy Cutts leads the kayak leg of the multi-sport race. Inset bottom, Pte Josh Mooney takes on the trails during a mountain biking activity.

“Army June 7, 2012FEATURES www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews18

Last step onCarrying on the family traditionSgt Andrew Hetherington

ONE of the soldiers deploying to Afghanistan with MTF 5 is con-tinuing a long family tradition of

Army service. Pte Andrew

Duff, of 3RAR, is the fourth genera-tion of his family to serve in Army and deploy overseas on operations.

“I wanted to join the Army for a long time after hearing all the stories my dad told me about my grandfather, who served in Palestine, Borneo and New Guinea during World War II, as well as Korea, and my great grandfather who served in Egypt during World War I,” Pte Duff said.

“My Dad, who is still in the Army, deployed to Lebanon as a UN Observer.”

The Duff family has a long associa-tion with the Army.

Two of Pte Duff’s uncles, a cousin and second cousin all wore a slouch hat at some time in their lives, and his grandmother served in the British Army.

Being the fourth generation to serve in the Army made him reflect on his position in his family’s military heritage.

“It feels a bit surreal I guess,” he said.“I didn’t know until recently I was

to be the fourth generation to deploy, as

I knew we had a lot of family members who had served, but really didn’t know they’d deployed overseas.”

Pte Duff’s role in Afghanistan will have him working as a member of a team protecting civilians as part of the

Other Government Agencies Platoon.

“I’ll be part of the team protect-ing Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AusAid personnel, who are building relation-ships with and helping the Afghan people,” he said.

“I can’t wait to get over there, as I’ve trained for more than two years to do my job and I finally get the

opportunity to perform on operations.“I’m excited to be able to test myself

and see how effective my training has been.”

As part of his pre-deployment train-ing, Pte Duff had the opportunity to meet and work with the people he’ll be protecting.

“We worked at High Range, Townsville, for a week during the MTF 5 Mission Rehearsal Exercise and patrolled with some of the civilians we will work with in Afghanistan so we could see how they operated and they could see how we operated,” he said.

“It was great for both them and us.”

I wanted to join the Army for a long time after hearing all the stories my Dad told be about my grandfather ...

– Pte Andrew Duff, 3RAR

Tradition: Pte Andrew Duff, of 3RAR, looks through family photos from previous generations who have served in war while on leave ahead of his deployment to Afghanistan. Photo by Sgt Andrew Hetherington

Army June 7, 2012 FEATURESwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 19

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TELL US YOUR STORY

If you have an interesting story to tell, get in touch with Army and get it in print.Contact the editorial team by email at

armynews@defencenews.gov.au

the way to deployment

“RE A L I S T I C a n d

demanding t ra ining were the expectations of MTF 5 CO Lt-Col Trent

Scott during the mission rehears-al exercise held at Towsville’s High Range Training Area from May 2-18.

“These would reflect the range of challenges that the men and women are likely to confront during their deployment,” he said.

“There was also a strong empha-sis on junior leaders making deci-sions and teaching them how to think, not what to think.”

The Combat Training Centre went all out planning the exercise, including using Afghans as role players to create a language barrier, which forced the soldiers to appro-priately use and convey their intent through interpreters.

The soldiers of the 3RAR Battle Group, as MTF 5 was dubbed when pre-deployment training began ear-lier this year, faced many challeng-es throughout the exercise, from preparing and advising Afghan National Army operations to con-ducting security patrols and even reacting to mass-casualty events.

Lt-Col Scott said some soldiers found they were well prepared and, due to the realism of the exercise, weaknesses were identified.

“Some soldiers had not expe-rienced those types of challenges before,” he said.

“But they all rose to the occa-sion and overall the battle group performed very well.”

One section involved in the exercise discovered flexibility and mutual respect were key factors to successfully integrating and operat-ing in a deployed environment.

Upon starting the exercise, eight soldiers of section 61A, Mentoring Team Delta, received orders to deploy for the duration of the activ-ity to Patrol Base Razaq.

Section commander Cpl Nathan O’Brien said it was a good oppor-tunity to work with simulated ANA members.

“We were able to get away as a section and really focus on the task,” he said.

“This was the first opportunity

Before they could set foot in Afghanistan the soldiers of MTF 5 had to complete a highly realistic mission rehearsal exercise, Cpl Nick Wiseman reports.

We actually had to have

interpreters with us due to the

language barrier.– Cpl Nathan O’Brien, MTF 5

we had to integrate, live with and work with a simulated ANA pla-toon.”

Tasked with the security of the patrol base and its occupants, the soldiers had to deal with limited facilities.

Defensive routines were initi-ated, with the soldiers establishing range cards and engagement areas for vehicles, and daily patrol base duties were drawn up.

“Once we established our rou-tine and relationships we started running daily lessons and training sessions with the ANA in between patrols,” Cpl O’Brien said.

“We ran lessons to help their engineers find IEDs easier and to better protect themselves, as well as infantry tactics.”

A typical day at the patrol base when not needed for tasking or security started at 6am, when the soldiers carried out their morning routine and ate a ration-pack break-fast.

From there they finalised their plans for the day, which could involve anything from patrol-ling with their ANA counterparts through to maintaining security at key leadership engagements.

Once the day’s events were completed preparations would start for any night tasking with night patrols occurring when needed.

Difficulties with the simulated ANA platoon tested the patience of section members. At times the section members would be ready to start a planned joint patrol but found themselves waiting for up to half an hour for their counterparts.

With a lot of emphasis on casu-alty treatment, Cpl O’Brien said it was good to see everyone using the skills they had all been taught.

“There were quite a few occa-sions throughout the exercise where the boys were able to put to use their training and skills,” he said.

“Casualities were evacuated using vehicles, simulated helicop-ters and even carried out by foot.”

Of the many challenges faced throughout the exercise, the biggest was the language barrier.

Cpl O’Brien was pleased to see the organisers had gone to a lot of effort with the mission rehearsal exercise package.

“Having Afghan role players and other assets that will be available to us in country made a very slick training package for us,” he said.

“We actually had to have inter-preters with us due to the language barrier.”

The section learnt to remain flexible and often change their oper-ating techniques to work better with their Afghan counterparts.

Cpl O’Brien said his soldiers were receptive to the new ideas put forward and keen to adapt.

“They would do whatever it took to make things work as smooth as possible,” he said.

“I’m really happy with the way they performed. There’s always going to be small things you can work on but overall the boys are really well prepared for what they’re about to go into.”

After finishing the mission rehearsal the soldiers moved on to company-level training and live-fire platoon attacks, spending time on the range with the various weapons they will use when deployed.

Cpl O’Brien said it was good to have the time after the exercise on the range and be able to spend time working on points that had been brought up.

“I think we’re as prepared as we can be for now,” he said.

Summing up the miss ion rehearsal exercise, Lt-Col Scott said it was not a test but rather an oppor-tunity to get the soldiers further pre-pared.

“The battle group is well pre-pared, well equipped and mentally in a great position, ready to achieve the mission,” he said.

“They’re keen to get on that plane and start doing the job they volunteered for and are profession-ally committed to.”

Mission ready: A 3RAR soldier patrols through the High Range Training Area during the MTF 5 mission rehearsal exercise.

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Army June 7, 2012 FEATURESwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 21

Day Dedication Distance Locations1 – June 25 Luke Worsley Ride 123km Norseman to Fraser

Range

2 – June 26 Jason Marks Ride 119km Fraser Range to Balladonia

3 – June 27 Michael Fussell Ride 129km Balladonia to Caiguna

4 – June 28 Tim Aplin, Scott Palmer and Ben Chuck Ride

157km Caiguna to Madura

5 – June 29 Greg Sher Ride 116km Madura to Mundrabilla

6 – June 30 Brett Till Ride 66km Mundrabilla to Eucla

7 – July 1 Rowan Robinson Ride 113km Eucla to Nullarbor National Park

8 – July 2 Brett Wood Ride 112km Nullarbor National Park to Nullarbor Roadhouse

9 – July 3 Mason Edwards Ride 94km Nullarbor Roadhouse to Yalata

10 – July 4 Todd Langley Ride 130km Yalata to Penong

11 – July 5 Ride for the wounded 75km Penong to Ceduna

THREE intrepid soldiers are gearing up for the ride of their lives in support of a great cause.

WO2 A, of 2 Cdo Regt, Sgt Mick Kruger, of School of Inf, and Sgt Des McCoy, of the WO/NCO Academy, will embark on the 1200km Legs for Legends ride across the Nullarbor Plain to raise funds for the Commando Welfare Trust from June 25 to July 5.

The trust provides support and funds to the families of serving and ex-serving members of east coast Socomd units killed or wounded on duty.

WO2 A said it was a great way of honouring their fallen mates.

“We thought it was a great opportu-nity to raise money and awareness for the Commando Welfare Trust and the Nullarbor provides a really good physi-cal challenge as well,” he said.

“The support we’ve had from wid-ows, their families and close friends has been awesome.”

The event has become not only a fundraising opportunity, but an excel-lent source of positive focus for the families and friends of the fallen.

Team Manager and WO2 A’s wife, Trina, said the event had become an activity to keep the fallen warriors names alive.

“To do something like this where the boys will be riding and carrying their mates’ names has just touched their hearts and the words of encour-agement from the families have just been amazing,” she said.

“You feel like you are doing so lit-tle, but to them it’s so much.”

Sgt Kruger said the team was already receiving great support from Defence members.

“We are pushing well over 700 friends on Facebook. So far the support has been overwhelming,” he said.

Custom-made cycle clothing and PT shirts are available for purchase to raise money for the trust.

To support the event, visit the Legs for Legends Nullarbor MTB ride Facebook page or donate directly to the Commando Welfare Trust at www.commandotrust.com

LS Paul Berry talks to a team of soldiers who will tackle the Nullarbor by bicycle to raise funds for fallen mates.

Defeating the desert

Pedal pushers: WO2 A (left)

and Sgt Mick Kruger prepare

for their Legs for Legends’ride

across the Nullarbor.

Photo by LS Paul Berry

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Army June 7, 2012PERSONNEL www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews22

Miranda Ball

DEFENCE families from across Australia gathered at Darling Harbour in Sydney to explore the future of military family support at the 2012 Defence Family Forum held from April 30-May 2.

The forum, hosted by Defence Community Organisation (DCO), was an opportunity for families to shape the support they would need from Defence and the community, and to identify practical solutions to the demands of service life.

Opening the forum, CDF Gen David Hurley acknowledged the commitment, support and sacrifices made by Defence families.

“The Defence Family Forum marks an important step in Defence’s cultural evolution and is an oppor-tunity for us all to capture that which makes Defence families strong and make the most of these strengths,” he said.

“Engaging with Defence families in this meaningful way will both improve the quality of Defence’s current programs of support and also help us reach out to the wider community.”

Based on the theme “Strong families, strong com-munities, strong Defence”, the forum examined how Defence families could overcome challenges and make the most of the opportunities presented, as well as their role connecting with and leading the wider Australian community.

Several special guests gave presentations including Gen Hurley’s wife, Defence community patron Linda Hurley.

“Every posting has been a matter of adapting and reinventing my life,” Mrs Hurley said.

“I encourage families to be proactive – it takes cour-age, but it leads to a sense of belonging, not only in the Defence family, but in our community.”

Through a series of workshops and discussions, forum participants developed a range of ideas and strat-egies for supporting military families, some of which will be turned into projects and developed over the coming months.

The project ideas included building a centralised website to help families become familiar with new posting locations, establishing a group of experienced Defence partners to mentor newer Defence partners and building community gardens for mobile families.

Later this year DCO will host the Defence Community Forum to build on the projects and ideas established during the Defence Family Forum.

For more information on the 28 projects planned at the forum, go to www.defence.gov.au/dco/ and click on Defence Family Forum.

Families plan the future� Forum held in Sydney

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Army June 7, 2012 LIFESTYLE PEOPLEwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 23

THE Watson brothers each have a different idea of “top gear” when it comes to their work.

For Sgt Stewart Watson (left) it is Project Digger’s heavily customised 1978 Ford LTD operated by the Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

For his big brother, Cpl Mick Watson, of Air

Force’s 37 Sqn, it is a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules.

After attending the 2012 Nitro Champs at Eastern Creek in early May, Project Digger was parked alongside a C-130J at RAAF Base Richmond, allow-ing the Watson brothers to compare rides.

They admired each others’ rides but readily said they wouldn’t trade places.

Brothers compare rides

Eyes front: Pte Farrah Flowers, of Norforce, provides cover for her patrol’s advance at the Robertson Barracks Marksmanship Training Range during the Norforce induction and Patrol Course. Photo by Cpl Patrina Malone

Rolling out: Driver Pte Alexander Young (left) gets a brief from Sgt Andrew Sonter alongside Pte Damien Stanton, all of 13CSSB, before leaving Irwin Barracks, Karrakatta in convoy for a major 13 Bde combined arms training activity. Photo by LCpl Ally Grima

Commemorative: From left, WOFF Harry Allie (retd); CPO David Williams (retd); Capt Chloe Dray, WO1 Roy Mundine (retd), Trevor Wilson (former CMF Army Reserve) meet up after a commemoration service honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women on May 25 at the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park South, Sydney.

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Army June 7, 2012www.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsLIFESTYLE FUN24

TELL US YOUR STORY

armynews@defencenews.gov.au

If you can think of a witty caption for the picture at left, email captioncomp@defencenews.gov.au with “caption comp June 7” as the subject. Try to keep entries under 25 words and include your name, rank and unit.

SAY AGAIN, OVER

Last edition’s winning entry“Nope. I’m not playing with you any more!”

Pte Kiel Burton17 CSSBRandwick

We also liked“What’s the time Mr Wolf?”

Capt Simon Formby1 Fd RegtEnoggera

DIKKO By Bob Dikkenberg

Ghost Recon Future SoldierPublisher: UbisoftRRP: $79Platforms: Out now on PS3 and

Xbox 360, coming to PC

MAJOR game developers decided several years ago that nobody want-ed to think and play video games at the same time, so the big tactical shooter franchises established in the late ’90s and early 2000s were reinvented with sequels dumbing down the tactical elements and focusing on the shooting.

Returning five years after its last major iteration, the latest instalment in the Ghost Recon series, Ghost Recon Future Soldier has stripped out most of the strategic elements of the original. But unlike Rainbow Six: Vegas (another Ubisoft title) and Operation Flashpoint: Red River, the move towards more basic shooter gameplay hasn’t completely ruined the game.

Any fan of the original or the subsequent Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter games will probably be disappointed with the direction taken by GRFS.

The ability to command fire teams or individual team members with movement orders has been removed from the game. The fire-control order system of previous games, which allowed players to tell their teammates to hold fire, fire at will or suppress enemies has been replaced by a fairly simple mechanic allowing players to designate targets for team members to take out in syn-chronised shots during stealth mis-sions and designate points to focus suppressing fire during firefights.

With the addition of some on-rails mounted machine-gun sequences, GRFS is basically Call of Duty with an interesting synch-shot mechanic.

So in terms of maintaining the tactical shooter legacy of its prede-cessors, GRFS is a failure. It is, how-

ever, a fun game in its own right.The firefights are intense and

players get to use plenty of inter-esting near-future gadgets, includ-ing miniature UAVs, scopes that can see through walls and Predator-style adaptive camouflage.

The addition of cutscenes and set-piece action sequences adds character and improves story immersion.

The game also includes a strong multiplayer component, allowing players to take on human opponents on a range of multiplayer maps or team up to tackle the main story.

It’s a shame GRFS has dropped many of the tactical elements that made its predecessors great, as it seems major developers have com-pletely given up on tactical shooters. But GRFS is an engaging game with slightly more interactivity and a long-er campaign than the other big mili-tary-themed shooters on the market. – John Wellfare

More action, less interaction

Action packed: The latest instalment in the Ghost Recon series is more exciting but lacks the strategic elements that made the previous games great.

Unit 13Publisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentRRP: $48Platform: PS Vita

WITH the release of a new gaming sys-tem it is only a matter of time before it gets a shooter and it’s great to see that the Playstation Vita’s first is a step away from the rest.

Unit 13 is a fast-pased third-person shooter which gets you straight into the action after a small intelligence brief and choice of soldier to suit the mission.

Once in the mission you’re not limited by a strict storyline or order of objectives and can choose your own method of com-pleting the mission.

There are several different mission types ranging from stealth infiltrations through to direct action – running full pace through a building to clear the enemy in a rush to meet a timed objective.

Having no strict storyline allows play-ers to pick up the game and continue

Great for casual gamers

playing without attempting to remember what has happened and is great for the commuter or casual gamer.

The PS Vita’s touch screen is also used throughout the game to interact with objects such as collecting intelligence and deactivating booby traps.

With excellent controls and offering great replay value with experience points and alternative ways to play missions, the game is rewarding and certainly worth adding to the collection. – Cpl Nick Wiseman

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Finding the right running shoe for your foot can be difficult, but what if the best shoe is no shoe?

Taking your daily jog barefoot may not be something you’re willing to try, yet barefoot running enthusi-asts consider it to be a more natural way of running.

Followers of the barefoot move-ment say it reduces the risk of chron-ic and repetitive stress injuries by giving the body more “sensory feed-back” – basically if you run barefoot and it hurts you know that you need to change your technique – some-thing you don’t necessarily get from wearing shoes.

They also argue that it is more efficient to run barefoot as the weight of a running shoe can slow you down and compromise form.

There hasn’t been a lot of research to substantiate these claims, but a recent study by a team at the University of Colorado and pub-lished in the online journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise has sparked new debate.

The team found it was actually more efficient to run wearing mini-malist running shoes rather than going barefoot.

Testing a small group of 12 men with barefoot running experience, the team concluded that a runner could use up to 4 per cent more ener-gy running barefoot versus shod.

So what will be right for you? Running in a heavy shoe doesn’t

make a lot of sense when you’re after more efficiency, however, because every foot is different, one type of shoe won’t work for eve-ryone. The same goes for deciding between minimalist shoes or going barefoot.

As PTI CPL Aaron Rawnsley discussed in the April 12 edition of Army, before choosing the right shoe (or not, as the case may be) you need to decide how you run.

Barefoot running seems to encourage people to run on the balls or soles of the feet. This forefoot strike pattern has been shown to reduce impact-related injuries when running.

However, most people will have developed a rear-foot strike pattern where their heel hits the ground first because modern running shoes have a slightly lifted heel.

This extra cushioning and sup-port reduces the level of feeling and contact with the ground.

This means most runners will not know if their gait needs to be altered or if they could benefit from adjust-ing their technique.

The benefit of wearing a light-weight or minimalist shoe, compared to going barefoot, is that it protects your feet from harsh surfaces yet still lets your feet do the work.

Whichever you decide, if your feet aren’t used to not having the support from a shoe, take it slowly.

Throwing yourself into training in minimalist shoes or barefoot with-

out adequate preparation can cause more problems and changing your gait can take time.

“In my experiences and research so far on this controversial topic, transitioning to minimalist footwear is not for everyone,” CPL Rawnsley said.

“The starting point and rate of progress if conducting this training and transition is purely individual based. No set program or timeline can be applied from one person to the next.

“Slow and steady progression is the foundation of enjoyable and injury free minimalist shoe running.”

CPL Rawnsley advises prospec-tive minimalist or barefoot runners to get a foot analysis done by a pro-fessional and seek guidance from a PTI and podiatrist.

“They can monitor the volume of training, give you guidance on the types of surfaces to train on and develop a plan that is tailored to suit your individual needs and out-comes,” he said.

Providing there are no issues, CPL Rawnsley said starting train-ing on a non-impact surface such as a grassed football oval was a good idea.

“Commence with walking, doing small low-intensity sessions to get your feet used to the difference. You can progress slowly from there to jogging but always seek expert med-ical guidance,” he said.

Barefoot training isn’t always the right fit, Lauren Norton reports.

Slow and steady: If you choose to try barefoot or minimalist training, seek expert guidance and start with low-intensity sessions. Photo by LAC Bill Solomou

Put your best foot forwardArmy June 7, 2012 LIFESTYLE HEALTHwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 25

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Army June 7, 2012SPORT www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews26

WO1 Phil Thamm

SEVEN Army personnel were among 12 Defence skydivers who participated in the Australian Defence Parachute Association’s (ADPA) canopy formation camp at Nagambie, Victoria on May 5 and 6.

The aim of the camp – under the tuition of elite coaches – was to train skydivers in this discipline and to build a base from which to select representa-tive teams.

After initial training on the camp, the skydivers exited a PAC XL aircraft from 14,000 feet and immediately opened their specialised canopies.

This early opening gave them more than 10 minutes a jump to practise their skills.

Pte Ross Colley, of DNSDC, who has 350 jumps to his credit, said the camp was everything he hoped it would be.

“It was a great training camp, the venue was excellent and it was great to have the PAC XL to jump from as it enabled quick flight to height and a nice big door for an easy exit,” Pte Colley said.

“I found the coaches really help-ful and approachable. They definitely know their stuff.”

After starting with safety briefs, jumpers had one-on-one sessions with coaches to learn how to approach a formation and set up for the best dock.

“Once we had the basics down, we moved on to three- and four-way stacks rotating from top to bottom,” Pte Colley said. “We then attempted to do our Canopy Formation Crests, which involves building an eight-way stack.

“Most of the groups only achieved a seven-way stack but it was still a lot of fun.”

ADPA will conduct its national championships in December. During this event, teams will be selected to represent Defence nationally and inter-nationally.

In the lead-up there will be a number of training camps in canopy formation.

To register for a camp contact WO1 Phil Thamm at philip.thamm@defence.gov.au

For more information on sports parachuting, email sky.diving@defence.gov.au

Stacking up under canopy

ARMY members displayed a tidal wave of enthusiasm at the interservice surf competition at Port Stephens from May 14-18 with 33 surfers participating – its largest and strongest team in years.

Air Force, with 28 surfers, won with 58 points, and Navy, with just 13 per-sonnel, finished second with 40 points, which was not surprising as they’ve been close rivals for the past couple of years.

But Army was not far adrift with 37 points. Considering its last interser-vice win was in 2005, the improve-ment heartened Army Surf Riders Association President Maj Matt Carr.

Surfing has not traditionally been a strong Army sporting pursuit.

Maj Carr attributed this year’s turna-round to support from the Army Sports Council and unit COs.

“The event was made more success-ful as competitors had the ability to bring family along for the week to sup-port and enjoy the activities,” he said.

“With the heavy workload currently being experienced by Defence mem-bers, it is great to see a competitive and professionally run activity which also supports a positive family/work/life bal-ance.”

Army was the chief organiser of this year’s event, which was held at One

Mile Beach at Port Stephens – the same beach the competition started at in 2004.

“Organising was truly triservice though. Navy ran the day-to-day com-petition and RAAF acted as safety man-agement,” Maj Carr said.

A stand up paddle board category, held for the first time this year, brought Army’s best result with Maj Carr finish-ing second.

Veteran surfer and tireless helper WO2 Martin Fisher was awarded the best and fairest award.

“An annual general meeting was held during the event to prepare an application to the ADF sports council to approve surf-riding as an officially recognised ADF sport,” Maj Carr said.

“We hope in future competitions to include a wide range of surf-riding sports such as body-boarding and open water racing.

“It is also hoped that challenges can be made to foreign forces surf clubs such as the US and UK.”

Personnel interested in joining ASRA (regard-less of skill level) can contact team captain LCpl Kieran Toohey to kieran.toohey@defence.gov.au, or ASRA president Maj Matt Carr at matthew.carr2@defence.gov.au

Surfers out in force

Dropping in: Pte Ross Colley, of DNSDC, docks onto the bottom of a canopy formation at a training camp in Nagambie. Photo by Shane Sparks

With paddle: Maj Matt Carr shows the style that earned him second place in the stand up paddle board. Photo by WO2 Mark Dowling

RESULTS� Stand-up paddleboard:

1st – Leut-Cmdr Steve Johnson2nd – Maj Matt Carr 3rd – Cpl Trevor Marshall

� Men’s shortboard: 1st – Flt-Sgt Rick Pfi effer2nd – Chris Shanahan3rd – Pte Ben Morton

� Women’s shortboard: 1st – ACW Vicky Voyzey 2nd – Cpl Keichelle Oldis 3rd – Lt Denna Fryer

� Longboard: 1st – Sqn-Ldr Mark Evans2nd – LS Chad Poland3rd – LS Nathan Adamson

� Tag team: 1st – Air Force Team 22nd – Navy Team 1 3rd (tie) – Army Team 1, Air Force Team 1, Navy Team 2, 4th – Army Team 2

� Service championship: 1st – Air Force (58 points)2nd – Navy (40 points)3rd – Army (37 points)

� Best and fairest:Navy – AB Ben SmeethAir Force – Cpl Stuart JohnsonArmy – WO2 Martin Fisher

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SPORTwww.defence.gov.au/news/armynewsArmy June 7, 2012 27

Michael Brooke

BONE-rattling tackles and slick tries were the feature of Army’s heart-breaking loss to a combined Navy/Air Force team in the ASRU carnival in Sydney.

The Army women went down fight-ing 13-5 to the combined team at Victoria Barracks on May 19.

Despite fielding a team of rookies and having one player red-carded, the Army girls came within a whisker of snatching victory.

Army fullback Pte Emma-Lee Wood scored a sensational solo try in the second half to trigger her team’s fight back from 10-0.

Although the kicker missed the con-version, Army rallied to the challenge and came close to scoring three more tries.

Only Navy’s desperate goal-line defence denied Army the tries they need-ed to avenge last year’s loss.

“We are a team of rookies who dug deep in search of victory because we

wanted to restore Army pride,” Pte Wood said.

Army also battled a spate of scrum infringement penalties late in the second-half, which halted their momentum and gave Navy/Air Force the respite they needed to hold on.

“We are shattered by the loss but will rebuild in preparation for next year’s ASRC,” Pte Wood said.

Army had 15 players selected in the ASRU women’s team that lost 14-0 to the touring British Army women’s side at Victoria Barracks on May 24. A full wrap of that match will appear in the next edi-tion of Army.

ASRU players: Capt Caroline Vakalahi, Lt Alisha Hewett, Lt Stacey Eason, OCdt Sharyn Laws, Cpl Fasheena Nevell, Cpl Annie Dufficy, Cpl Kelly Boye, Cpl Emma-Lee Wood, Cpl Bridget Beatson, Cpl Stacey Bolton, Sig Melissa Tuka, Pte Courtney Kerr, Pte Brea Grant, Pte Najet El-Rahim, Pte Hayley Sullivan.

Rookies rolled by combined team

Sweet revenge in rugby compMichael Brooke

ARMY poured cold water on the Navy centenary of rugby by edging out their arch rival 33-29 in the Australian Services Rugby Union (ASRU) carnival at Sydney’s Victoria Barracks on May 19.

The win gave Army a measure of revenge for their loss in the 2011 ASRU carnival, when Navy scored the winning try in the last minute of play.

Army not only won the ASRU Wg-Cmdr John Caldwell Shield, but had 11 players named in the ASRU warriors representative team to face Tasmania in Hobart on July 14.

They are Cfn Adam Nixon, Lt Matthew Hamill, OCdt Hudson Brown, Cpl Issac Harris, Cfn Jeremy Nelson, Pte John Tanuvasa, Cpl Narongchai Jindanapalai, Cpl Harely Whaikawa, Maj Scott Davidson, Lt Luke Ebneter and Sgt Ben Jones.

The ASRU carnival was espe-

cially memorable for flanker OCdt Brown, who was named ASRU Rookie for 2012, and inside-cen-tre Cfn Jeremy Nelson, who was named ASRU Player of the Series.

Cfn Nelson’s success can be attributed to his blistering speed and attacking prowess.

“I’m stoked to get the award as this is my third year with Army rugby and second year with the ASRU Warriors,” he said.

Cfn Nelson said he loved play-ing rugby because he grew up in New Zealand where rugby is second only to religion.

OCdt Brown took pride in being one of the smallest players on the field who never failed to punch above his weight.

“I like being the underdog as the smallest forward on the field, which always inspires me to produce a non-stop effort,” he said.

OCdt Hudson, who is also the ADFA team captain, said the superior fitness of the Army members helped them hold off their opponents.

Coach Lt-Col Peter Conroy also acknowledged Maj Scott Davidson’s effective leadership as team cap-tain and Cpl Adrian Sutter’s brave efforts playing with a broken rib.

Lt-Col Conroy said discipline, patience and aggression enabled Army to turn a 19-18 half-time lead into a 33-29 victory.

“Our reserves were key because we knew the arm wrestle with Navy would intensify in the last 20 min-utes, when fatigue was taking its toll on all the players,” he said.

Lt-Col Conroy said patience and discipline were crucial because in 2011 Army conceded 27 penalties to Navy’s 11, which contributed to their heart-breaking two-point loss.

“We did a bit of soul-search-ing after last year’s loss and were extremely well prepared this year,” he said.

Army got their campaign under-way with a 51-3 annihilation of Air Force on May 13, which boosted the soldiers’ confidence to pull the ASRU title from Navy’s grasp.

On a roll: Smn Sam Peters tries to stop the run of Cfn Jeremy Nelson (above) in the men’s match during the Australian Services Rugby Union Carnival held at Victoria Barracks, Sydney. Army won the game by four points and regained its mantle as ASRU champions. Cfn Nelson, of Rotary Wing Aircraft Maintenance School, was named player of the series and (above right) OCdt Hudson Brown was named 2012 rookie.Photos by LS Brenton Freind

Tough ask: Capt Caroline Vakalahi fends off her opposition during the Australian Services Rugby Union carnival held at Victoria Barracks, Sydney.

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Flying high: OCdt Hudson Brown reaches for the sky in the match against Navy in the Australian Services Rugby Union Carnival held at Victoria Barracks, Sydney. Photo by LS Brenton Freind

June 7, 2012une 7, 2012

In a thrilling end to In a thrilling end to the Australian Services the Australian Services Rugby Carnival, Army Rugby Carnival, Army wrestles back the title wrestles back the title

it surrendered last year it surrendered last year with a four-point win with a four-point win

BACK BACK ON ON TOPTOP

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WOMEN WOMEN STUMBLESTUMBLE

Combined Combined team topples team topples

Army at ASRU Army at ASRU carnivalcarnivalPage 27Page 27

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