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Engineered to succeed
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Sapper
Stephen Taylor, a member of the engineer task group operating
in Banda Aceh as part of Operation Sumatra Assist, works to clear
away the debris along the riverfront of the Krueng Aceh following
the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.
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Sapper
Paul Lightbound, a member of the engineer task group operating
in Banda Aceh as part of Operation Sumatra Assist, works to clear
away the debris along the riverfront of the Krueng Aceh following
the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.
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Sapper
Paul Lightbound, a member of the engineer task group operating
in Banda Aceh as part of Operation Sumatra Assist, dumps debris
into a waiting Australian Army dump truck during clear-up operations
along the riverfront of the Krueng Aceh following the Boxing Day
earthquake and tsunami.
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Lieutenant
Colonel Ian Cumming
(far right), the commanding officer of the Australian Army engineer
task group in Banda Aceh, surveys the work done so far in clearing
away the rubble from the streets of Banda Aceh. Beside him stands
the Regimental Sergeant Major of the task group, Warrant Officer
First Class Anthony Quirk.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers looks out over the devastation of Banda Aceh as
he considers the immensity of the task still ahead to help the
Indonesians rebuild their devastated city. Brigadier Chalmers
is the commander of the Australian task force sent at the request
of the Indonesian government to assist the people of Indonesia
following the devastating Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.
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Small
rays of hope are beginning to shine in the tsunami-affected regions
of Indonesia - a motorcycle sidecar loaded with building materials
waits to be unloaded following the excavation of debris from this
street near in Banda Aceh. Australian Army engineers are among
the organisations helping to clear the same street.
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Indonesian
children watch Sapper Andrew Lawrence operate the backhoe appliance
fitted to his John Deere earth-moving vehicle. He is digging drainage
for toilets being built at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
camp located in the southwest of Banda Aceh, where Australian
engineers also provide fresh water for the 7000 IDPs that currently
call the camp home.
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Lance
Corporal Quentin Morrissey counts the number of available filled
new water containers at the Australian Army engineer water treatment
plant located by the river in Banda Aceh, one of three operated
by the engineers across the city. The locals are encouraged to
reuse their donated water containers, and a line of Indonesians
can be seen with their containers in the background.
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Sapper
Stephen Higginson, from the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment in Townsville,
use a backhoe to clear the debris from a drain that leads to the
river in Banda Aceh. The engineers are working hard to clear the
drainage system in the city so as to clear the area of stagnant
water - a potential source of disease.
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By
Corporal Cameron Jamieson - filed 31 January 2005
You'd be
excused for looking at the devastation in Banda Aceh and thinking the
situation was hopeless. The scale of the destruction created by the
Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami left many survivors thinking the task
of clearing away the rubble and starting again was too big.
To add to the problem, the constant monsoonal deluge meant the muddy
quagmire that covered more than half the ruined city would continue
to resist any attempts to reclaim Banda Aceh from the destructive forces
of nature.
From the start of the Australian Defence Force's assistance to the government
and people of Indonesia, Australian Army engineers have been at the
forefront of disaster relief operations.
Within days of receiving the word to go, the engineers had established
a water purification system that supplied the only potable water in
Banda Aceh.
With the arrival of HMAS Kanimbla the engineer task group has expanded
to include field engineers, Topographic Survey troops, plant operators
and more water purification systems.
And through it all the engineers have had to witness their share of
the carnage as countless bodies were removed from the waterways and
the mounds of debris. At least recovery of the bodies is left to the
Indonesian military and the Red Cross.
The commander of the engineers in Banda Aceh, Lieutenant Colonel Ian
Cumming, said the engineers were actively participating in a number
of tasks that were helping the Indonesians to resume their lives.
"Our focus has primarily been on disaster relief, because that's where
we can have the greatest effect," Lt Col Cumming said.
"We are involved in clearing areas and providing water, not just to
individuals but to organisations like the UN and the Red Cross as well.
"At one of the Internally Displaced Persons' (IDP) camps we've been
constructing latrines and water supply systems to reduce the environmental
hazards there.
"In the middle of town we're been picking up boats and wreckage, clearing
the streets so the people can get back to their normal lives."
"We've been helping the hospital get it up and running, trying to fix
its water supply and electricity systems, while at the technical college,
where we are based, we're helping with the cleanup to get it the school
back on its feet.
The Regimental Sergeant Major for the engineer task group, Warrant Officer
Class 1 Tony Quirk, is impressed with the motivation of the soldiers
assigned to the group, despite the difficulties of the environment and
the scenes of death and destruction.
"They can see the importance of their job, and every day they can see
the difference they make for the local people," he said.
"We've got the combat engineers doing the important work of clearing
the drains, which will lower the water that's pooling around.
"This will assist with the hygiene aspects as well as dry the land out,
so the locals can get back into their houses and start to clean up what's
left.
"And our Electrical and Mechanical Engineers are furiously maintaining
our equipment to keep it up to standard, as well as repairing the damaged
water tanks donated by the public works authority, so they can be sent
out to the IDP camps to be filled with potable water for the needy to
use."
WO1 Quirk is also respectful of the local population. "The Indonesians
are a very resilient people," he said.
"I know they are hurting inside, and there is a lot of pain and suffering,
but they are very focused on getting their lives back to as normal as
they can be.
"A lot of the time the locals will get in and give the boys a hand,
and then they'll go back and continue to work on their houses.
"The locals are very friendly, and they are very thankful for what we
are doing."
However, some locals are still deep in shock from the tragic events
of Boxing Day 2004, but Field Engineer Corporal Alex French has seen
how the presence of the engineers has spurred them into action.
"They looked at the task and they just saw it was too big," he said,
"but we came in and started at one end [of the street] and gave them
a bit of help, and then they got into it.
"It's good for them, because they feel like they're starting to achieve
something."
Another positive aspect of the operation has been the cooperation between
the Australians and the Indonesian Armed Forces. Lt Col Cumming believes
the good relationship with the Indonesians has prevented any disruption
in the coordination of the engineers' assets.
"We have indicated where we have specialist capabilities, and they have
been giving us areas of responsibility," he said.
"We have been given a general intent and areas of responsibility and
got on with the job."
At the frontline of the engineer operations, Cpl Shaun Barry, who works
with one of the water purification systems, agrees that the Indonesian
Armed Forces have been eager to cooperate with the Australians.
"The Indonesian soldiers are maintaining the security for our purification
system," he said.
"They also come over and give us a hand when we need any help with moving
stuff around."
As for the future, Lt Col Cumming said the engineers would continue
to assist the internally displaced persons' camps with the provision
of clean water and sanitation facilities.
"We'll also be continuing with the cleanup, as there's a fair way to
go," he said. "An enormous amount has been done by the Indonesian Armed
Forces and the government agencies, and we have contributed to that,
but there's a still a lot of rubble to move, a lot of wreckage to clear,
and there's probably still a lot of bodies to be recovered and buried."
As the days turn into weeks, Banda Aceh is slowly rising from the mud
and rubble like the phoenix from the ashes, a sight that keeps Cpl French
going.
"It's a good feeling to go back to the areas which have been cleared
and think, 'we did that'," he said.
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