Digger's point of view
"Kapooka, the home of the soldier" by PTE Pace
As the bus drives through the main gates a sense of realism hits me I'm here it's all about to begin. The bus stops. About a hundred other long haired civilian's and I get sorted into files and ranks inside a large room where the a Military Police officer gave us a lecture on the weapons and drugs we could not have on us. "Why the heck would you bring weapons or drugs to this place?" I thought to myself. Once that was over we got split up into our platoons. 22 platoon, I will never forget that number, I had no idea how many friends I would make out of these 50 strangers. 
We marched, bags in hand to our lines and given our rooms. A quick hello to your new room mates for the next 45 days then its out to meet your P.T.I.'s or Physical Training Instructors, these were two men who are paid to make you hurt and they worth every dollar.
As we went through we lost a few due to failing physicals, injury and just homesickness. The mornings were the biggest test straight out of bed yelling 'Hallway 22!' line up and have your number counted off, then 15 minutes to make your bed, have a shave, and be dressed ready to be marched up to the mess for breakfast. Bacon and eggs or cereal and fruit then back for your morning duties.
My job was to mop the hallway and once you finished you helped your mates, it was only 3 weeks into it until I realised how important this was. As you lined up in ranks the man behind you checked your dress and you checked the man's dress in front of you. If anything was wrong with anyone's dress the whole platoon got a yelling. At Week 3 we got marched up to the high wire confidence course. Half of us try to think of a way out, the other half were trying to tell us how easy its going to be. After a lot of swearing we all got through, there were high fives all round then we got our first beer for 3 weeks. It's funny how a big scare will bring a group closer together. I had no idea how many life long mates I was actually making. We took every day as it came from weapons handling lessons to lectures on first aid to hour's on end going over drill movements. Then came the tests we had study groups up to 15 of us all helping each other through weaknesses, we all passed every test. As we knocked them off one by one the light at the end of the tunnel got closer and closer.
It's the last week, we think we have made it but we quickly realise the real work is only just beginning. We are on our way out bush to start operation Dusty Warrior, 5 days out bush. On the last day you must complete the Challenge, an 8 kilometre pack march and supply carry. Then you drop your pack and go through an observation point where you come across a mock enemy base. After that you move on to do a section attack against a mock enemy. That's when we found a casualty which we had to apply first aid on and made a stretcher with which we carried the casualty to safety. Then we came to an obstacle course where we were marked on technique. As we moved on we came across a bayonet assault course, we are all very tired but we push our selves and each other through. My legs and back were killing me. One station left, a 200 meter sprint, load our weapon with 5 live rounds and fire at a balloon 100 meters away bang! Got it first shot! We replace the balloons for the next group, move off the range and undo our packs for inspection. "We have made it," said Pte Read "We have bloody made it". We get back to the lines and have our first shower in 5 days. Time to iron dress uniforms for the big day tomorrow, the March Out Parade! I'm so exited I can't sleep, nobody can, we all sit up talking we can't believe its the last night we will all be together. It is morning of the last day of our course. After breakfast, we headed straight to parade ground for rehearsals, after that back to the lines where our section commanders, platoon sergeant and lieutenant walk up and down the hallway. Their voices have changed from telling us how much we must improve to telling us how much we have improved and how we have the right to call our selves Australian soldier's. It sent shivers down my spine to finally realise how much we have accomplished, time for emotions was over we still had a job to do.
As we marched to the parade ground I could hear the band warming-up. I was very nervous, you don't want to mess up in front of the crowd. It all went down without a hitch and as we marched off I felt the proudest I have ever felt in my life. We marched to the function hall and met our families that travelled all that way to see us and to introduce them to our newfound friends. In closing I would like to say Kapooka was a great accomplishment in my life it has made me a better person in a lot of different ways. It's an experience I will never forget.
Memories of Basic Training
What I did on my holidays
by PTE Kerr
It is dark when you arrive at Kapooka. It is dark and you barely know any of the bus-load of people standing around with you awaiting allocation to you new platoon and you new home for the next 45 days. The first few days are deliberately hard, to make sure everyone knows what is expected of a soldier, but once things are settled and more regular, the course really starts to become interesting. You go to a first aid lesson, and by the time you leave you can splint a broken leg for transport like a pro. You go to a weapon lesson and learn how your rifle fits together, and what every part does. You go to dozens of classes and learn something new and useful everyday. The other people in your platoon go from strangers to Co-workers. Soon you know everyone by their first name, know where they came from, and which corps they are going to. These people will stay with you the rest of your life. You'll end up staying in touch with more than a few and probably meet them on a course or at an exercise somewhere, these are your brothers in arms.
The final test of all the skills a soldier needs is the Challenge. A day long trial of pack-march, supply carry, section attack, first aid, stretcher carry, obstacle course, assault course and finally a shoot on the range. The Challenge is the conclusion to the field phase of the course and requires everyone to pull together as a team to complete it as no one person would be able to do it alone. 
"We were lucky with the weather, the morning of the Challenge was mild and sunny, a lovely spring day for a little pack marching. The march and supply carry were tough, but with everyone supporting each other we soon made it to the drop-off point and ditched our packs. Once we had lightened our loads we easily picked up our pace and headed towards the last known position of the enemy. Our section attack was flawless, we flew up the hill with a constant barrage of fire pinning our enemy down behind his vehicle. The obstacle course was great, everyone remembered the training and we made it over in good time. Not record time, but no one fell off. A quick run through the assault course and before we knew it we were charging up the mound on the range and taking up firing positions on a squad of enemy balloons. The sense of accomplishment we all felt at the end was overwhelming. We had done it, we had beaten the Challenge." Being a soldier is like becoming a member in a nationwide club. You will meet people who serve in another corps, or left the Army years ago, and be able to swap stories and compare experiences in a way you can't imagine. I worked a civilian job with a guy who was at Kapooka 20 years ago and we talked for hours about how things were in his day, what's changed and what's stayed the same. I didn't have to explain so many things I would have had to explain to a civilian, things like the layout of the base, the phrases the staff used, and the tricks you learned. It was like meeting an old friend I hadn't seen in years.
Infantry Training
The role of the Royal Australian Infantry Soldier is to seek and close with the enemy, to kill or capture him, to seize and hold ground and to repel attack day or night regardless of season, weather, or terrain.
Initial Employment Training (IET's) for an Infantry reservist is a four week course broken up into two 2-week modules. The first Module (Mod) consists mainly of weapons training whilst the second Mod is more of a field phase. To follow are some thoughts of a couple of diggers on their course.
PTE Lim-Nunez on Mod 1
Me and most of the guys on my course were doing both Mods back to back. I think we all had a fair idea that mod 2 would be less comfortable so we made the most of Barracks life, where the food is plentiful and the showers are hot. We spent about a week in these cosy conditions and then we moved to 'Sunny' Bindoon. Bindoon temperatures are usually either really cold or really hot, and we got both, sometimes in the same day. I got used to cold showers pretty quickly. My favourite part of Mod 1 would have to be firing the 66 rocket launcher. It was an unreal experience, but nothing like the movies. There's no kickback at all. One of the guys braced up for the kick and fired the rocket too low. It hit the wall of the bunker and ricocheted off. It was probably a bit scary for him and his safety supervisor but we all had a good laugh afterwards. I made some pretty good friends on Mod 1, a few of them are even in my unit. 
PTE Price on Mod 1
I did my mod 1 by itself in June of 2004. It was a great experience for me because it was new and different and I finally got to play with the expensive equipment that you see on TV. One of the best part about my mod 1 was the weapons. We learned all of the basic infantry weapons and then got a fair bit of practice on the range. It was great. Perhaps one of the reasons I had such a great time was that I did the course with my friends, in the end that's what made it all worth while. The most memorable part of the course was the day on the grenade range when I got to fire 40mm grenades and throw frag grenades.The sound they make is a lot louder that in the movies. By the end of the course I was feeling like I had accomplished something really great and had plenty of stories to tell. 
PTE Lim-Nunez on Mod 2
For me, getting out in the field was the reason I joined the Infantry Corps. At the start of Mod 2 we moved into tent-land. We could see that they were slowly taking us into less comfortable conditions. We got to go back to the barracks every couple of days for showers and so we could wash our clothes. The last 6 days was a field phase. I remember lying in ambush busting for a piss. Our section was assigned to the kill group so we weren't allowed to move. I started digging a hole to relieve my self, it took ages to do it without my CO watching and I was nearly done when we saw kangaroos jump past. We all knew that it meant then enemy was coming. The next thing you heard was everybody switch to instant. The CO wasn't very impressed as we should have been on instant when we walked in, but the barrage of gunfire at the enemy was an awesome experience. I think my favourite parts of Mod 2 was the sneaker range and the live fire section attack.
PTE Price on Mod 2
Mod 2 was probably one of the most challenging courses I had ever done. I did my mod 2 in Puckapunyal, Victoria, and it was very cold. The course was mainly made up of section and platoon attacks, which we did it wearing everything we owned. The most rewarding part of the course was spending 8 days out in the bush digging into a company position. Unfortunately my group hit rock about a meter down and from then on we were called the disco pit. This was because every night you could see sparks flying every time we hammered the rock and it looked like a strobe light. The most memorable part of the whole course, however, was when we our position was 'attacked' on the last morning. It was dark so we were using flares to light up the enemy. Unfortunately our section commander was not very good with flares and ended up launching a flare into a tree right next to platoon HQ, lighting it up like a Christmas tree. Mod 2 was difficult but rewarding and I had a really good time. The best part was sharing stories over a beer with my mates at the end. Two days after we left it snowed."