Co-ords of the Jungle
The organisation providing specialist guidance to RCB

Malaysian soldier Pte Jaafar Sered learns about the differences between the Australian and Malaysian Minimi. Photo by Pte John Wellfare, Army newspaper

From Pte John Wellfare in Malaysia

WHILE rifle companies move on every three months, the Land Command Liaison Section – Butterworth (LCLS-B) remains to coordinate activities with other forces and offer guidance to commanders and staff.

Experienced members are generally preferred for the two-year posting to RMAF Base Butterworth, near Penang in the north west of the Malaysian Peninsula. Their presence provides some stability for the rotating RCB’s and Malaysian military planners.
OC LCLS-B Maj Noel McCrossan said the six members of the team could fulfill each other’s specialist roles, as well as offer advice to the RCB. Staff members of the incoming RCB are generally grateful for the help.

“It’s a bit daunting for the incoming RCB [members] fly in on day one, get a day’s handover and then you see the guys [outgoing RCB] that have been here for three months all get on a plane and all depart,” Maj McCrossan said.

“It leaves you a little bit vulnerable and as I assure the RCB’s on their initial brief, they can all rest, there’s still six of the LCLS that are remaining behind and will guide them through the next three months.

“Just about all of the current LCLS members have at least 20 years’ experience. My chief clerk is nearly there and my ammo tech is well through there – he’s got about 30 years experience – but between the whole team I think we can provide solid advice, guidance and direction for the RCB’s.”

The six LCLS-B staff members bring their families with them for the posting, lease houses and children are educated at local schools on the island.

Maj McCrossan said while the posting might at first seem daunting to both members and families, most quickly get used to the South East Asian expatriate lifestyle.

“It can be very daunting and very isolated in a foreign and Asian environment if you have the wrong sort of mindset, but [families] tend to tolerate it fairly well,” he said.

“They do have a support group in themselves, the Butterworth support group, which is mainly ADF and a few British and Kiwi spouses, both male and female.

“[Children] go back from here with, I think, good education, they definitely don’t lose anything.

“Travel is an education in itself and they get the best of both worlds here. I think if you’ve got the right perspective it’s definitely got its bonuses.”

It can be a tough posting for the LCLS-B staff, for whom the work tempo rarely stops and leave breaks are limited.

“Within every rotation of an RCB there are five or six, if not more, significant activities of at least a week’s duration, and you get four normally slightly different rotations a year,” Maj McCrossan said.

“The RCB coordination aspects overlap, we’re [LCLS] normally dealing with the end of tour report issues from the previous RCB, conducting training with the current RCB, whether they’re doing sub-unit training or going to ranges or deploying on [Combined Exercise] Haringgaroo, or deploying off to Singapore and conducting reconnaissance for the next RCB rotation, so it
can be quite a juggling act.

The LCLS-B team comprises the OC, an operations warrant officer, a Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS), an ammunition technician, an MP SIB warrant officer and a chief clerk.

Maj McCrossan and the RQMS, WO2 Paul Hunt, will remain in Malaysia at LCLS-B for about another year, while four current members of the staff will have been replaced on posting and returned to Australia before the end of January next year.