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ABDEN
Matthew Collins and LEUT Ben Gaffey deployed as a team to
Palm Island.
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Navy dental team from HMAS Penguin has been busy treating patients
on Palm Island, off the coast of North Queensland, as part of
the ATSIC - Army Community Assistance Program (AACAP).
AACAP is designed to deliver health-related infrastructure to
remote indigenous communities.
The Army’s 17th Construction Sqn, Royal Australian Engineers,
is the lead construction agency on the AACAP project, although
Navy and Air Force personnel have joined the team at different
stages to provide specialist support.
The squadron group consists of attachments from 21 and 22 Construction
Rgt, the School of Military Engineering, 1 Health Support Bn,
110 Signals Sqn and 10 Force Support Bn.
The group is on Palm Island for five months, building houses,
roads and other infrastructure.
The project also includes a training package for the local community
that includes computer skills, first aid, welding and TAFE trade
certificate training.
The health component is also significant and includes well-attended
seminars for locals on important health issues, such as personal
hygiene.
The arrival of the Navy dental team, LEUT Benjamin Gaffey and
ABDEN Matthew Collins, followed on from a RAAF detachment that
visited early in the project.
The island’s 3000-plus residents have no permanent dentist
and the team was inundated with work.
In the month-long deployment more than 140 patients were treated,
including more than 80 extractions.
The dental team received a warm welcome from the locals.
“We’ve had whole families come in for treatment just
by word of mouth.
“It’s quite heart-warming to know you’ve eased
pains which would have otherwise gone untreated,” LEUT Gaffey
said.
The Officer Commanding 17th Construction Sqn, Major Paul Hobbs,
said:
“Delivery of these Health programs is an integral part of
the overall AACAP project.
“The Navy attachment has done a sterling job.
“Without the support of the Navy, RAAF and other Army Regular
and Reserve units we could not achieve all our goals.”
