Image Gallery 2009
15 May 2009
Camp Baker Kandahar
IN a shed in a corner of Kandahar, five tradies tough it out without thought of reward or distinction.
The mixed team of RAEME and RAE tradesmen, led by SGT Darrin Howell, keeps the vehicles Camp Baker rolling, and the camp running smoothly.
With summer approaching, their work load is bound to increase, including daily efforts to keep power and air conditioning supplied to the camp offices.
“The tech- elec will be busiest; we can’t afford to have power go down,” CFN Robert Cooke, 23, said.
“We have to supply all the elements.”
The team includes two electricians, one of whom is a technical electrician, a plumber, a vehicle mechanic and a fitter-armourer.
In addition to the numerous generators in Camp Baker, including three 500KVA units, SGT Howell’s tradies are restoring one from the scrap heap.
“The FLAA boys got it from the rubbish, it has become an ongoing project,” he said.
The tradesmen deployed to Kandahar in February and have since completed 116 jobs, with 40 pending.
“We have completed 90 per cent of the tasks left for us,” SGT Howell said.
The arid conditions at Kandahar are a constant test for SGT Howell’s team.
“The dust is something we have to be on top of all the time,” he said.
“We have to keep the areas free of dust so we can work effectively.”
As can be expected, living in each other’s pockets has occasionally grated on the soldiers’ nerves.
“The lads live with each other and see each other 24-7,” SGT Howell said.
“Emotions run high sometimes, but they get over it and get on with things pretty quick.”
Although they work within the confines of Camp Baker, the war beyond Kandahar Airfield is not far away.
A local contractor crew had recently visited the team with fewer members than usual. One of their number was killed and another wounded during an IED attack.
“He was hopping around here with crutches for a little while,” SGT Howell said.
| 20090430adf8239716_011 Australian Army Craftsman Robert Cooke (10FSB) welds brackets for the ongoing improvements at Camp Baker on Kandahar Airfield (KAF) Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 April 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090430adf8239716_026 Australian Army Craftsman Robert Cooke (10FSB) welds brackets for the ongoing improvements at Camp Baker on Kandahar Airfield (KAF) Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 April 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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| 20090430adf8239716_059 Australian Army Craftsman Robert Cooke (10FSB) welds brackets for the ongoing improvements at Camp Baker on Kandahar Airfield (KAF) Afghanistan. (Date taken: 30 April 2009) Low-Res | Hi-Res |
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