Amberley’s brains bring home shield

Volume 48, No. 17, Sepetember 21, 2006

WINNING MIX: Amberley winners of the HMAS Brisbane Shield, and below left, one of the team carries two of his colleagues while wearing gumboots in the Ship to Shore Challenge. Photos by Graham Davis

A MIXED team from RAAF Base Amberley has taken out the inaugural HMAS Brisbane Shield Corporate Challenge.

The Air Force team discovered, however, that the challenge was far different from the usual athletics carnival.

Brains as well as brawn would carry the day.

The nine Amberley members were among more than 128 athletes to contest the challenge, which was held at Nathan in Brisbane as part of Navy Week in Queensland.

Other teams included Navy, Army, Defence Recruiting, Police, Queensland Fire and Rescue, Queensland Ambulance and Channel 10.

One of the events requiring brawn was the Ship to Shore Leadership Challenge, which called for a single contestant wearing gumboots to carry two of his colleagues across an oil-covered stretch of water.

Some contestants had to also carry stores in the form of rope and tyres.

Another event requiring brawn in the form of a strong arm was the bocce event in which athletes had to hurl or bowl a 1.25 kg steel ball towards a jack.

Taxing their brains was the Towers of Hanoi event, in which participants had to reposition different sized blocks on pins without having a large block sitting on top of a smaller one.

Another first for many contestants was the fruit box relay, in which teams had to carry bowls or hands full of fruit and vegetables from the start line to a waiting box.

By the end of the day, the ADF had scooped the pool, taking out the first four places.

The Air Force team, led by WGCDR Mark Simpson, took the shield with 448 points, followed by Army, Defence Recruiting and then Navy.

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