Dalby opens doors for exercise

By Capt Grant Chisnall

SOLDIERS of 25/49RQR recently lived up to their promise of conducting realistic and rewarding training as they descended upon the home of the late Arthur Johns, legendary WW1 veteran and former resident of Dalby.

The battalion deployed to the Darling Downs town to conduct a security operations exercise, with the aim of practising the battalion in the conduct of rear-echelon protective tasks in support of 7 Bde.

They also took the opportunity to engage with the community in an effort to raise the profile of the battalion on the Darling Downs and increase recruiting to the battalion.

The command elements of the battalion deployed to the Dalby showgrounds on May 23, establishing the Command Post and A Echelon in the shadows of the Arthur Johns memorial grandstand.

This area was also used for the conduct of the recruiting, mortar and DFSW stands over the duration of the weekend, which proved to be a huge success with the local populations.

A and C Coy staged through Toowoomba on Friday night, where they conducted final battle preparation before moving into Dalby early Saturday morning.

On deployment into the town, the companies cleared their respective locations before being re-tasked to secure vital assets, such as the Ergon Energy Plant and the airfield to the north of town.

Soldiers liaised closely with town police to coordinate all aspects of the training weekend and special use was made of an Engineer Dog Detection team to aid in the clearance of the vital assets by the companies.

Recon Pl provided the enemy, who used Musorian Special Forces doctrine and conducted clandestine operations around the township.

This included the attempted assassination of the Mayor of Dalby as he departed the community centre after chairing a meeting of town leaders, adding an element of realism to the exercise and providing the reserve members with credible tasks to fulfil.

On the recruiting front, hundreds of locals visited the showgrounds during the weekend and were treated to displays from recruiting, mortar and DFSW platoons, along with a tour of the echelon and a sausage sizzle for the families.

This activity was a great hit with the locals and was much like the Cooee drives conducted by the recruiters in the lead-up to the WW1.

In the spirit of the great Cooee drives, Sgt Inch has answered the call, much like his grandfather Arthur Johns did nearly a century ago.

The weekend concluded with a breakfast for the locals where the CO, Lt-Col John Hutcheson, handed back control of the town to the Deputy Mayor John Hart.

He thanked him for the support shown by Dalby and for the chance of using the town as a training area, where the soldiers and officers of 25/49RQR could practice their skills in a realistic area in a credible scenario.

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