More Army engineers prepare for deployment on Operation Sumatra Assist

By Pte Shannon Joyce, Directorate Defence Newspapers - filed 03 January 2005

A further 150 solders from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1CER), Robertson Barracks in the Northern Territory are to be deployed to Banda Aceh on Operation Sumatra Assist this Friday.

Commander 1 Brigade Brigadier John Cantwell said the contribution had been guided by the Commander of the Joint Task Force Brigadier Dave Chalmers, and the Commanding Officer 1CER Lieutenant Colonel Ian Cumming who are both on the ground working with Indonesian authorities.

"Tasks that the 150 personnel will undertake in Indonesia are many and varied," he said.

"They will include assisting with road construction and repair, airfield construction and repair, general infrastructure repair and recovery, more water purification, removal of debris, assisting in distribution of supplies, creation of centres for displaced persons and anything we need to do to assist the Indonesian people."

The group will be taking a large quantity of heavy plant trucks, bulldozers, excavators, rollers and other engineering equipment that will assist with the removal of debris, clearance of roads, removal of partly demolished buildings and the clearance of rubbish, among other tasks.

The soldiers will join HMAS Kanimbla when it arrives in Darwin this week and should be disembarked in Aceh four to five days later.