Clearing the way: A 9 Bde front-end loader clears the rubble of a house destroyed by fi re in Port Lincoln. Distressed residents found some comfort that the work marked the start of the recovery process.

9 Bde aids bushfire relief

By Maj Neale Sutton

PORT Lincoln residents were pleased when an element from 9 Bde, including both reserve and regular soldiers, arrived in the firedevastated Lower Eyre Peninsula to provide support to the volunteer clean-up operation.

Up to 25 personnel from 9 bde units, supported by 3HSB, were deployed to the Lower Eyre Peninsula after the initial request was made by the South Australian Government.

OIC Operation Eyre Phoenix Capt Richard Forbes said 9 Bde support provided to the West Coast Recovery Committee was in two forms.

“First, providing accommodation and catering for the civilian volunteers at three field camps across the region, and second, assisting with heavy demolition tasks using equipment taken from 3 Fd Sqn’s Plant Troop,” Capt Forbes said.

“We are here purely in a coordinating and support role.”

The civilian volunteers that were arriving in the region to assist in the clean-up needed accommodation, so reserve personnel manned camps at Wangary, Edillilie and North Shields; feeding the volunteers, providing tents, sleeping gear and support wherever possible.

“We also had a medic at each camp to provide basic first aid, proving to be a real asset,” he said.

“Because of the type of heavy work the volunteers did each day, having minor injuries looked at straight away ensured they were kept healthy and fit.”

Capt Forbes said the positive response from everyone in the region had been overwhelming. “People who saw us arrive actually stopped in the streets to wave and cheer,” he said.

“Working with all the people and support groups who make up the West Coast Recovery Committee is an absolute pleasure.

“The enthusiasm and drive of everyone we have encountered is inspiring.

The esprit de corps from the committee chairman down to the civilian volunteers and property owners is terrific.”

When bulldozers and backhoes from 3 Fd Sqn were deployed in support of the cleanup, their tasks were organised in conjunction with the civilian coordinators.

“The type of demolition work soldiers are doing here is in the main on privately owned homes,” Capt Forbes said. “Many were damaged to the point where they uninhabitable. Unfortunately, there are so many homes that have to be demolished that they can’t all be done at once.”

With the Army plant supplementing the civilian plant already in operation, soldiers have enabled the recovery effort to make real progress in getting this crucial task done much quicker.

The ongoing presence of the Army in the Peninsula has been assessed on a regular basis, with a recent twoweek extension granted to the operation.

“Nothing tests, reinforces and confirms training better than being able to apply knowledge and skills in a real situation,” Capt Forbes said.

“And nothing can compare to the sense of satisfaction one gets in return from helping someone else with a genuine need.”

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