Canine sniff of success

By Squadron Leader Lenn Bayliss

MWD Sita shows affection for his handler, AC Bevan Case, after the graduation ceremony at RAAFSFS.

Photo by CPL Cindy Ipsen

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* Thirteen students graduated from the latest military working dog handler course at RAAF Base Amberley. The intensive training equipped the new handlers to work at the frontline of security operations.

THE old saying that you should never work with animals or children was quietly laid to rest at RAAF Base Amberley with the latest graduation of military working dog (MWD)handlers – at least as far as animals are concerned.

Thirteen students of the 1/05 MWD handler basic course celebrated their achievement on September 26 at the RAAF Security and Fire School.

RAAFSFS Commanding Officer Wing Commander Anthony O’Leary congratulated the graduates on their new essential roles of protecting ADF bases, assets and personnel at home and overseas.

“These most recent graduates will find themselves at the frontline of security operations and their initial training has provided them with the necessary skills to deal with most situations that they will encounter during the course of their duty,” he said.

At the start of the 13 weeks of intensive training, each handler was teamed up with a developed but otherwise untrained German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois dog. The first step was to establish an individual handler/dog team that, other than in unforeseen circumstances, would remain together throughout their service careers.

The theory and practical training included man trailing, building searches, dog training, dog husbandry, dog health, tactical and field training, security patrolling, ground defence training and flightline duties.

One of the graduating handlers was an active reservist from No. 23 Squadron, based at Amberley.

Aircraftman Bevan Case took time out from his full-time employment as a dog handler with the Queensland Department of Corrective Services to complete the course. He said his reserve work complemented his civilian job as the role “possessed a different focus but many common features”.

He is teamed with Belgian Malinois Sita and, like the rest of his class, was looking forward to putting his skills to operational use.

 

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