2CER breaks 16-year trophy drought

Triumph: 2CER section commander Cpl Brad Tyler holds aloft the 7 Bde Commander’s Trophy for taking out the obstacle course competition.

Hard yakka: Spr Brendon Everingham, 2CER, clears one of the final obstacles with ease. Photos by Dean Agnew

SAPPERS from 2CER are 7 Bde’s military-skills gurus for 2005 after blitzing the 7 Bde Obstacle Course Competition (BOCC) two minutes in front of nearest rivals, 6RAR.

The BOCC was the final challenge in a year-long series of six separate competitions that quickly became a contest between 2CER and three-time consecutive winners 6RAR.

It’s the first time in 16 years that the sappers have won the 7 Bde Commander’s Trophy for military skills, dropping just 40 points from a possible 600 points throughout the year-long quest.

6RAR finished second with 530 points and 1 Fd Regt third with 400 points.

In a stellar week for 2CER, the unit took out the BOCC, the 7 Bde Swimming Carnival and was officially announced as the Champion Unit for 2005.

2CER’s BOCC section commander, Cpl Brad Tyler, said it was a good effort by the sappers at the BOCC and throughout the year.

“It’s fantastic – the engineers have really done well and we’ve dominated a lot throughout the military skills comp,” Cpl Tyler said.

“We didn’t expect to win the 7 Bde Commander’s Trophy, but we had the attitude that we will go out there and do the best we can and we seemed to come out near the top every time,” he said.

The rivalry between the engineers and infantrymen was hard fought throughout the year with 2CER and 6RAR alternating as winners in each separate competition.

2CER was just 20 points clear of 6RAR coming into the obstacle course and time penalties could easily have placed the sappers out of contention.

However, a blemish-free execution by 2CER of the BOCC in 16 minutes 23 seconds placed them outright winners from 6RAR on 18 minutes 38 seconds.