For a greener infantry
Infantry COs and RSMs plant trees at the Lone Pine Memorial

Head of Corps, Infantry, Brig Chris Appleton, (right) and WO1 Alan Gillman put finishing touches to one of the 26 trees descendent from Anzac Cove, Gallipoli in the newly created “Lone Pine Grove” at Singleton’s School of Infantry. Photos by Maj Keith Fraser, SoI

By Cpl Damian Shovell

THIS year’s RAInf Corps conference at the School of Infantry continued to cultivate a growth atmosphere – both for Army and the environment.

As part of the three-day conference, attracting 152 delegates from across Army to discuss RAInf Corps issues, personnel from the 25 Infantry Land Command units, as well as the School of Infantry, took the opportunity on Sunday, July 25 (Australia’s National Tree Planting Day) to plant 26 saplings at the School of Infantry’s Lone Pine Barracks memorial.

Maj Keith Fraser, SO2 Inf, said having representatives from every infantry unit present at the national annual conference offered the perfect opportunity for each unit CO and RSM to plant their tree.

“The 26 saplings are direct descendants from the original “lone” pine tree left standing on the Plateau 400 feature at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula after the Turkish Army had stripped the plateau bare of timber to cover their fighting trenches” he said.

“There is already one ‘Lone Pine’ tree in the Singleton Military Area that was planted on August 6 1982 when, to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine on August 6 1916, the area was officially named Lone Pine Barracks.”

The newly-planted trees were arranged in a grove near the main parade ground at Selarang Square, leading up to the flagpole where the existing Lone Pine memorial stands.

Brig Chris Appleton, a former CO of 5/7 RAR and the current RAInf Head of Corps, planted the tree on behalf of 5/7 RAR which, because of exercise commitments was unable to attend the annual conference.

Maj Fraser said a plaque was unveiled at the ceremony that explains the symbolism of the 26 trees and provides the history of how each is derived from pine cones brought to Australia from Gallipoli by two WW1 soldiers who fought at the battle for the “Plateau 400” feature that became known as “Lone Pine”.

The theme for this year’s RAInf Corps Conference was Training –Today, Tomorrow, the Future and attracted COs and RSMs from every Infantry Land Command unit as well as brigade commanders and some Part-Time State Regiment Regimental Colonels and Honorary Colonels.

The Keynote Address – The Hardened and Networked Army – was delivered by CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy.

Maj Fraser said conference delegates were also briefed on the Iraq SECDET by a 3RAR team, the East-Timor draw down by CO 6RAR, the Special Forces Direct Recruiting Scheme (SFDRS) by the Commandant of Special Forces Training Centre and Army’s future capability requirement – with heavy emphasis on infantry capabilities to the year 2012.

A number of workshops were also conducted to assist determine army’s Active Reserve role in hardening and networking Army.