Tradesmen help out in Cape York

LAC Chris Dickson, a plumber, digs a trench to connect water mains to a building.

LAC Mark Van Hoof, a carpenter, at the crash site of a World War II Beaufort.

SGT Wayne Newby inspects Warria Mooka’s work.

Photos by SGT William Guthrie

EIGHT Air Force tradesmen have joined with Army’s 21st Construction Squadron and 10 tradesmen from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force to participate in the annual ATSIC Army Community Assistance Program (AACAP).

AACAP 04 is in the Northern Peninsula area of Cape York providing a program of capital works to the Aboriginal communities of Injinoo, Umagico and New Mapoon.

The work includes a new subdivision, houses, a regional waste facility and services such as water fluoridation, maintenance and renovation and electrical upgrades.

There are 173 personnel involved – 133 from the Army Squadron and 40 from other units, including the eight Air Force tradesmen.

Leading Aircraftman Mark Van Hoof, of No.1 Combat Logistics Squadron at RAAF Base Townsville, is working as a carpenter.

“AACAP is about public awareness. It makes the troops from the city realise there’s more to life and gives the locals an idea that we are out to help them,” he said.

During his deployment, LAC Van Hoof has been able to reflect upon the sacrifices of a previous generation of airmen. He visited the wreck of a World War II Beaufort, which crashed near Injinoo Airport at Cape York (known as Higgins Field during the war).

The Northern Peninsula area played a major part in Army and Air Force operations against the Japanese during World War II.

There are many World War II relics remaining in the area, including the Beaufort. Leading Aircraftman Chris Dickson, of 1CLS at RAAF Base Richmond, is working as a plumber and said the deployment was “an opportunity for us to maintain our skills as well as provide help and support for the locals”.

Sergeant Wayne Newby, of 1CLS at Townsville, and other ADF trainers are providing formal certified pre-apprenticeship training at the Bamaga school. “My job in Townsville is to set up lesson plans to maintain competencies for our tradespeople,” he said.

“This has given me a lot of practice and helped me gauge how much to put into a lesson for our students. The students here with AACAP 04 really want to learn.” AACAP 04 started in May and is due to finish in October.

AACAP is an annual program between the ADF, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and the Department of Ageing and Health. It started in 1996.

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