HMAS Kanimbla On Its Way To Aceh

By Pte Shannon Joyce - filed 12 January 2005

Hope is floating swiftly to the tsunami-affected people of Indonesia with HMAS Kanimbla transiting the Lombok Straits, with an expected arrival in Sumatra later this week.

With a regular crew of about 240 personnel, HMAS Kanimbla is carrying a detachment of 150 Army engineers from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Darwin.

The engineers will soon set to work in support of Indonesian Government authorities rebuilding and restoring essential services in tsunami-affected areas.

But the type of training and preparation needed to handle the emotional side that personnel will have to deal with, is something that Royal Australian Navy Chaplain Mark Burton on HMAS Kanimbla believes you can't really train for.

"A lot of us may have seen individual elements of suffering from accidents and disasters before, but nothing on this scale," he said.

"Whether we like it or not we'll be confronted by our own mortality. I know that may sound a little clichéd, but it's very true.

"I think in way of preparation for this kind of work, it's going to involve recognising our own personal limitations, and knowing that we can't fix everything, but we're there as a much bigger response to this catastrophe."

When the ship arrives off the coast of Aceh, two Sea King helos and two landing craft will begin offloading the ship's 780 tonnes of equipment and stores for the humanitarian effort.

While doing what he can to prepare members onboard HMAS Kanimbla for the emotional toll, the mood on board the ship remains upbeat, with both Navy and Army personnel bracing themselves for what will be a challenging job.