Action as rains came

ARMY units in the Singleton area were on 24-hour stand-by for nearly a week during recent floods in North ern NSW.

More than 1,500 sol diers from HQ Singleton Area, the 3rd Training Battalion, and engineer, transport, and medical units were included , in the stand-by.

A liaison officer, 2Lt. David Christie, was assigned to ‘ work with Civil Defence authorities . in Singleton.

Co-ordinating the stand- ; by relief, force was Maj. Adrian Nesbitt, Super visor of Training at 3TB.

As flooding worsened, original preparations to accommodate and feed 600 were trebled.

The CMP area of Singleton Training camp was readied to house flood victims.

The forces rescued 20 passengers from a train stranded by flood waters at Whittingham Station, near Singleton.

A party of 27 soldiery under Capt. Roger set-up an emergency camp., on. Tamworth- Showground to aid 300′ Aboriginal flood victims from Narrabri. In a 178-point deluge in Southern Command recently, the Army achieved a victory over General Mud.

The victor was the 21st Construction Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers, based at Puckapunyal.

The Sappers were taking part in the Field Days conducted by the local government engineers at Greenvale Village for the Aged, near Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.

This year, much of the $9 million, worth of earth- moving machinery was used to help the village — 15,000 sq. yds. of land were levelled for a rehabilitation centre and long- term accommodation.

Portable generators supplied by 21 Const. Sqn. provided all the electrical power for the site.

The engineers from the Squadron, along with soldiers of 3rd Army Recruiting .Unit, also set up a display.

Work on the site was almost abandoned when the 178 points- fell .and turned it into a quagmire; On. page 4 other angles on the flood work by soldiers.

LEARNING the ropes above the earth is essential part of training for soldiers of the Special Air Service Regiment.

In Western Command SAS Regt. and the 11th Battalion, Royal Western Australian Regiment have been training with: choppers.

Top pic shows soldiers practising suspended extraction, while left, from our files, ‘ Capt. Robin Letts, 2ic of 2SAS, has a long way to go to meet the ground.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266979536