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Nine engineers deployed on Op Pakistan Assist II have conducted repair and reconstruction work at a school in Kot Addu earlier this month.

The engineers spent two days working at the school, which had been damaged by the floods, to bring it up to a standard, which is now safe for staff and students.

Lieutenant Cameron Hawkins, 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment (2CER), said the engineers worked in conjunction with the Pakistan Military and local national contractors.

"We linked into the Pakistan Army's reconstruction efforts in the area and conducted reconnaissance of schools and health clinics before deciding which one to work on," he explained.
 
"The school we chose was under 1-1.5 metres of water during the flood, which brought a lot of silt and debris into the buildings.

"Also that affected the foundations, the perimeter wall and the main building."

Lieutenant Hawkins said the engineers started by removing the material that had built up in the building during the flood.

"First we had to clear the area to prepare for the reconstruction work," he said.

"The biggest problem was clearing all the silt, which had built up in one of the old buildings.

"Also there was a brick skirting to a hardstand area that was damaged so we removed that too."

Once they had cleared out the area, the engineers spent the remainder of their first day putting in a new concrete floor.

Lieutenant Hawkins said that on the second day, the engineers began on the roof, which was not damaged during the floods but leaked when it rained.

"There was no point repairing the floor if we didn't repair the roof first, so on the second day we started reconstruction of the roof," he said.

He said the boys were proud to get out and make a difference.

"It was a really good experience for the guys, working in a foreign country with the locals and being able to pass on their skills gives a sense of pride to the guys doing the work.

"To rebuild a school and make it usable so that more kids can go there, obviously helps in the future development of the country."

Field engineer Sapper Dane Chiswell, 2CER, said the reconstruction work was a good opportunity for the engineers to learn from each other.

"The field engineers don't usually do construction work back home, so this was a good opportunity for them to learn from the tradies," he said.

"The school needed a bit of bricklaying done, so the boys and I built a brick wall so they could set up a hard standing outside the class room for the kids."

Sapper Chiswell said it felt good to help out the local community.

"There is a lot of destruction out there, so to go out and help rebuild a school for the locals is a good feeling."