Back to basics
4 Fd Regt fills infantry role
Volume 11, No. 45, June 15, 2006
By Cpl Andrew Hetherington

Pointed directions: Gnr Matthew Ericksen, 108 Fd Bty, conducts a VCP. Photos by LAC Rodney Welch

NINETY-FIVE members of 4 Fd Regt have left their usual tool of trade at home in Townsville – the 105mm Hamel gun – and taken up a different role serving with the 3RAR Bn Gp in Dili.
OC G Coy 3RAR Bn Gp Maj Michael Dawson said it was not the first time the artillerymen had been re-roled as infantrymen.

“We were lucky to have the benefit of participating in Exercise Croix du Sud in New Caledonia last month,” Maj Dawson said.

“We operated as an Australian infantry company there. We did a lot of different training, like amphibious landings, air mobile training and a lot of infantry tactics. More than that, we operated as an infantry company rather than an artillery battery. This was massively beneficial to the company for this deployment.

“We have come together well and that exercise was worthwhile. At the end of the exercise, the guys said all they needed was an operational tour – they got their wish.”

Gnr Justin Matangi, 108 Bty, working in the G Coy CP, said Ex Croix du Sud involved “a lot of different training which gave us a good idea of what was expected of us”.

“When I found out we were going to East Timor, I was excited about being deployed overseas,” he said. “We are all happy to be over here, it is awesome to be helping the people of East Timor.”

Gnr Matangi said he and his mates went through some intensive training before they were deployed.
“We trained in things like crowd control, patrolling tactics, VCPs and detainee training,” he said.

G Coy is operating out of Dili airport and its main role is to be involved with the security stabilisation operations. The company’s routine involved a lot of patrolling, but Maj Dawson said that was not all it did.

“We have three platoons out each day working and they rotate through tasks such as the security of the immediate vicinity of the APOD (airport), observation roles and manning VCPs. We have a platoon seconded to carry out duties at the Dili food distribution point,” he said.

Maj Dawson said the company’s patrols had found and confiscated a large number of weapons.

“We have confiscated over 100 weapons ranging from crude knives and clubs to automatic pistols,” he said.
The unit hasn’t encountered any trouble as a part of its duties in Dili, but Maj Dawson said it was occasionally called on to break up minor disturbances between locals.

“We have some minor factional differences in the streets and we have dealt with this quickly,” he said. “Every now and then the soldiers get in among people who want to hurt each other and want to help to put a stop to it.”