1

TIGER TALESFrom the desk of the Commanding Officer…

After a great deal of Christmas cheer (possibly too much after looking at some of the‘girths’ cutting about) the Tiger Battalion is back on deck and focussing itself foranother fantastic year. The year started with Support Company deploying to RifleCompany Butterworth in February for a three month sojourn. The RSM and Irecently visited the Company whilst it was in Pulada. They appeared to be in finespirits, but were working extremely hard. As most of the readership wouldappreciate, the jungle is a most unforgiving host !! I have no doubt that theexperience being gained by our junior leaders will benefit the Battalion in years tocome. A platoon from our newly formed B Company is currently postured to deployto Timor Leste in the next few weeks as part of a 3 RAR contingent. CO 3 RAR hastold me that, even in their lead-up training, the platoon acquitted themselves and theBattalion extremely well. Unsurprising news for us Tigers !! I have made clear to theBattalion that 2008 will be a year of ‘investment’. We have already seen a number ofnew march–ins to the Battalion and have recently been given approval for increasesin manning. We have also commenced promotion courses, support company coursesand mechanised crew courses. We will be conducting initial employment training forseveral intakes of march-ins from June. This is all good news and will mean that theBattalion will be in great shape by the end of the year. The plans for the ColoursParade on the 5 June are coming together. The NT Administrator is confirmed andthe new Colours are well on the way to completion. The plan is that we will have theColours Parade at 3pm on 5 June at East Point Reserve and will then undertake anumber of activities for the Battalion and Association members on Binh Ba Day.These activities will include a historical presentation on the Battle of Binh Ba (givenby some of our younger Tigers with some supervision of our more senior Tigers !)and a social activity. More news will follow as the activities take shape. Importantly,the Warr-Khan Trophy will also be awarded on that day to recognise our mostoutstanding junior leader. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express mycontinued commitment to maintaining very close ties with our Association. In myview it is an integral part of the Battalion, its customs and traditions.

Tiger of the Month-8266888 Craftsmen Alex ‘Head’ AitkenheadTiger of the Month for March 2008 is Craftsmen Alex Aitkenhead. ‘Head’ has oftenlived up to his name, displaying an intelligence, professionalism and dedication toduty not often associated with Craftsmen.

During the recent MST and MRE for 4 Platoon, Alex lead his smallmaintenance team with aplomb, keeping the cars and weapons afloat with amixture of grit, ingenuity, hard work and sheer will. He has been a greatasset for the Platoon and Company to have along and was a major part inensuring that the TLBG(4) MRE was able to meet it’s objectives.

‘Head’ readily displays the Traits of the Tiger. He is Combat Ready (Seeattached warry photo), Situationally Aware in keeping the wagons on themove and anticipating the needs of the Platoon and Fiercely Loyal, readilytaking to life among the Bravo Company boys and dedicated to the Coy.

2

LTCOL Jake Ellwood cuts the cakewith PTE James Oakford, theyoungest soldier in the Battalion.

Battalion HeadquartersBattalion Headquarters has (as always) had a busy start to 2008. With the return ofkey personnel from OBG (W) 3 late last year, BHQ has finally been able to get intosome battle rhythm.

BHQ has some new faces this year with LT Stort moving in to the AADJT role fromC Company, LT Wessell is now the Intelligence Officer moving from D Coy, CAPTJaunay is now the ADJT moving in from B coy, the OPSO is now MAJ Rampagecorrection Ramage formerly OC C COY.

The Clerks have been as busy as ever. It often amazes me how they manage tobalance their busy social schedule with their work. Already this year they havemanaged to slip an afternoon of bare foot bowls in to the “training program. From allreports it was a great afternoon. The OrderlyRoom has lots of new faces, SGT Collins thePers SGT, SGT Potterat the Orderly roomSGT and the rest of the familiar faces fromthe Orderly Room. A special mention mustgo to the CCLK and all the hard work thathe has put into the battalion to get the yearunderway well done Chief.

The Pay cell has also started the year verybusily. They are still working on bringing allthe OBG (W) 3 guys up to speed to makesure everyone is getting the right pay andallowances. They continue to work closelywith the 7 RAR Pay Clerks which must bepainful for them.

Underthe

watchful eye of the new OPSO MAJ Ramage the OPS Cell have performed well. Outof the Cell of 5 there are 4 new members, the OPSO himself, LT Stone the OPS LT,the OPSWO WO2 Nutt, and the Unit Resource Officer (URO) SGT East.

The Battalions RTF fund kicked off the year with a bang after the success of theBattalion Birthday celebrations. With the help of the extended Tiger Clan the RTFmade a good profit through the sale of 5 RAR merchandise and Drinks over the bar.The afternoon/ evening was a good opportunity for members, families and friends of

3

the Tiger Battalion to see the equipment we use and gain a better understanding ofwhat it is we do. There were carrier rides, face painting, a night vision obstaclecourse, all variants of the battalions vehicles and weapons on display, a sniperobservation lane and the inter company tug of war, which was gloriously won by thebrilliant Charlie Company.

It also gave us an opportunity to farewell the latest group of tigers to deploy, 4Platoon Bravo Company who are deploying with Timor Leste Battle Group 4(TLBG4), with our infantry brethren from 3 RAR. We are sure that they willrepresent the Battalion well and we wish them the best of luck. For those familymembers of deploying personnel the battalion is here to support you in any way thatwe can.Events of note in the near future for the Battalion are the ANZAC Day celebrationswhere the 5th Battalion will be marching through Darwin city. The Binh Ba daycelebrations over 5th and 6th of June will also be a big event in the Battalion’scalendar, which includes the introduction of the Battalion’s new colours. Thursdaythe 5th of June will be the presentation of new Colours at a ceremony commencing at3.00 pm at East Point Reserve on the Darwin foreshore. The Colours will bepresented by the Administrator of the Northern Territory. On Friday the 6th of June(Binh Ba Day) an Open Day will be held at the Battalion’s home at Binh Ba Lines,Robertson Barracks. In the evening a mixed formal dinner will be held in theSergeant’s Mess. It will be attended by Sgts/ WOs/ Offrs of 5 RAR.

Some of the younger members of the Tiger Battalion get a look at the Snipers kit, on the SniperObservation Lane at the Battalion Birthday celebration

4

LEFT: OC 7 Pl (Harry Neesham), OC 8 Pl (RodgerWainwright) and OC 9 Pl (John Deane-Butcher).From 5 RAR’s First Tour to Vietnam. RodgerWainwright is the president of the 5 RARAssociation.

On a final note I Encourage all members of the Tiger Clan to visit the 5 RARassociation’s website, http://www.5rar.asn.au/. I must say a big thankyou on behalf ofthe Battalion to the members of the 5 RAR association and their passion for theBattalion I know it is the COs intent to get you fine gentlemen involved in the

Battalion’s social life and we look forwardto seeing you at the forth coming functions.

The Battalion is looking forward to anothergood year with the main focus being on

preparing the battalion for operations and to grow the skills of our junior leaders. Inall things we do this year we will strive to uphold the traits of the Tiger; SituationallyAware, Combat Ready and Fiercely Loyal.Duty First!

SUPPORT COMPANYOn the 5 Feb Support Company deployed on the 81st rotation of Rifle CompanyButterworth (RCB), a three month company deployment to Malaysia. SupportCompany has not deployed on RCB with its regular ORBAT. The company has beenreconfigured to take advantage of the training opportunities that are available inMalaysia. The company currently consists of CHQ, the Recon platoon, a combatengineer troop, a maneuver support platoon and a section from the Mortar platoon.This has allowed the planning of a variety of training activities, from running a basicrecon course to qualifying soldiers in the use of Dems.After a slightly uncomfortable seven hour flight in the back of a C130, the companyarrived at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base at Butterworth. Initially the companyconducted a hand over/take over with A Coy, 2/17 RNSWR, who formed RCB 80.This was followed by an induction period, during which the diggers were givenlanguage and cultural awareness training. This was put to good use when thecompany had a weekend off in Penang, with many members of the companypracticing their new found Malaysian linguistic skills in the local pubs and bars.The company then moved to PULADA training area, located in the south of thecountry, just over the Straight from Singapore. PULADA is where the MalaysianArmy Infantry Centre is based, and there is a permanent camp that RCB rotationsoccupy when training there. The Recon Platoon remained at Butterworth tocommence their recon course. The initial phase of the company’s training was

5

focused on weapon qualification. The first week at PULADA was spent out on theranges shooting a variety of weapon systems. This was a good opportunity for manyto operate infantry weapons that they would not usually get equipped with. Duringthis period the mortar section deployed to the field to conduct live firing. The mortarswere faced with the unenviable task of digging in, however help was on hand in theform of the CE troop and a backhoe. The mortars will complete their firing at the endof April, which will stand them in good stead for deploying on operations in thefuture. The recon course subsequently moved down to PULADA to take advantage ofthe jungle terrain there. The training was hard but a good change from using the localtraining areas such as Mount Bundy and KFTA back in Australia.The company then had a chance to relax when it redeployed to Singapore for amilitary history tour and a day off. This proved to be a welcome break and gaveeveryone the opportunity to do some shopping and sightseeing. Then it was back toPULADA for the second phase of the company’s time there. The trainingconcentrated on section level drills, culminating in a section live fire attack. TheRecon platoon completed the recon course and will put their training to the test in thenext phase of the company’s deployment.At the end of March the company heads over to Brunei on EX MALEE BULL tocarry out some training with 2nd Battalion, Royal Brunei Land Forces (2 RBLF). Thiswill involve some mutual lessons on patrol skills and the CE troop demonstratingsearch techniques. Then the company will deploy to the jungle for a six day testexercise, which will put into practice the lessons learnt during the time at PULADA.The company returns to Malaysia in time for ANZAC day, when members will begoing to Sandakan, Hellfire Pass, Singapore, Brunei, Kuala Lumpur and Gemencheh.It has been a busy time here in Malaysia for the company, with a lot of valuabletraining already conducted. We are looking forward to a couple of days of standdown before heading off to Brunei.

Back on the ORBAT, Back on Operations

On 18 Feb 2007, Bravo Company 5 RAR rejoined the ORBAT ofthe Australian Army. In the lead up to this auspicious day, a groupof highly motivated, intelligent and good looking soldiers had beensighted in the vicinity of Building 205 in the 5 RAR Lines,claiming it as their own and turning it from a place of pipes, drums,music and gaiety into the Company and Platoon Headquarters of

Bravo Company, a bunch of lean, mean Mech Warriors.Despite the relative youth of the Company, Bravo has been entrusted with the soledeployment (thus far) of the Battalion for 2008. 4 Platoon, led by LT Nick Andrewand SGT Peter Condie will deploy as part of the Timor Leste Battle Group IV, whichis based on 3 RAR. LT Andrew and his bunch of Mech Warriors will provide amechanised Quick Reaction Force for the ‘paratroopers’ of 3 RAR. To date, 4

BRAVO COMPANY

6

4 Platoon in Townsville: Would you buy aused APC from this mob??

Platoon have undertaken mission specific training in Sydney and Townsville with the3 RAR Battle Group, and distinguished themselves in their performance in the fieldand the boozer, ensuring that 3 RAR never got the better of them in either. One 3RAR OC was heard to comment that the fitness of the men from the tropics wassuperior to that of the southerners.

As part of their training, the 4 Platoon boys undertook a wide variety of activitiesincluding Helicopter Underwater Escape Training, non lethal weapons qualifications,population control, and familiarisation for 3 RAR with the carriers as most of themhad the same level of experience with the carriers as they did with parachuting. None.Of course, there was also the usual four days worth of ‘track bashing’ fitted into 24hours to keep the boys occupied. 4 Platoon has now returned from their training andwill undertake leave and final admin before deploying.

The remaining members of Bravo have been involved with fitting out the new CHQ(“IT”S NOT THE BLOODY BAND HUT”), conducting IMT training and planningfor the conduct of the Battalion’s exported IET courses. Bravo Company has alsoprovided support to all other companies with members deployed as part of RifleCompany Butterworth 81, the Ready Mech Company Group and as Instructors onM113 Driver and Servicing and Supervisor Infantry Operations – Section courses. Atone stage the Company motto was going to be changed from Lead Me, Follow me orGet Out of My Way to City FordCompany: We Say Yes More Often.

The next month will see the Companycontinue to expand with intakes ofmen, equipment and resources and the

coming deployment of 4 Platoon. Thequiet days of the A1 Ech are soon tobe but a distant memory as trainingprogresses from individual to sections.The year is young, but already Bravo Company is focussing on having a big impacton the Battalion.Duty First!

7

THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE COMBAT BADGE

Goodbye to old friends, welcome to new comrades… Charlie Company has begunthe year fresh from the challenges of last years deployment in South Iraq with theOverwatch Battle Group (West) - Three. The Company welcomes a new OfficerCommanding, Major Paul Greive and new Company Sergeant-Major, NathanAhearn. Further, we extend our best wishes to a number of mates that have movedout of the Company after leave to take up specialist positions in Support Company, aswell as those mates who posted out of the Battalion as part of their careerprogression. Many soldiers in the Company will reflect on the fresh new faces thathave posted into the Company, remembering the shared experience and the lifetimethat was fourteen months ago, when most of our senior soldiers marched-in.

The Company is on the cuspof a high tempo and excitingyear. Rebuilding theCompany mechanizedcapability is the main effortfor the year, with the nextfew months seeing hard-charging Charlie Companymembers dominating juniorleadership and technicalcourses from Darwin toCultana. The training effort

will culminate at the end of the yearwith the Company standing up as the

Ready Mechanized Company Group and equipping with the new M113AS4 vehicle,in order to provide a short notice deployable mechanized infantry capability to theCommanding Officer.

Charlie Company, stronger for its collective experience, stands ready to build onlessons learnt in training and deployment. Leading the infantry sections will be newlyqualified and promoted Section Commanders. These senior soldiers are currently onpromotion course in Cultana and will rejoin the Company in April. These men joinedCharlie Company as private soldiers, earned the respect of their peers and chain-of-command and served their time subject to the high standards and expectations of thebest Company in the Battalion.

An air of expectations surrounds the current Supervisor Infantry Operations – Coursebeing run by the Battalion in March and April, as it signifies a new generation of

CHARLIE COMPANY

C COY, the Battalion Tug-o-War champs 2008

8

junior leaders in theCompany. This course is thebreeding and proving groundfor young soldiers of theCompany who joined theArmy in 2006, cut their teethduring deployment in Iraqand who will qualify forsection 2IC positions later inthe year and through 2008.

Charlie Company membersare currently also onM113AS1 Drivers Course in

the Battalion and at theSchool of Armour, providing

dismounted support to Exercise SOUTHERN REACH in Cultana and preparing forBasic Mortars Course in April. Of note, Corporal Michael Wellings has been selectedto represent the Battalion on Exchange Program Long Look for four months with theRoyal Welsh Regiment of the British Army. We wish Corporal Wellings well;confident that he will spend his time gainfully employed and will show somediscretion when throwing himself manfully into the customs and traditions of Britishsoldiery.

To conclude, we would like to extend a warm welcome to former Charlie Companymembers of all eras to have a beer with us, in person or spirit, on 5th June 2008,when the Battalion receives new Colours.Duty First!

PTE Cameron Taite hanging out with the locals

9

Ready Mech Coy Gp

The first part of 2008 has been pretty busy for D Coy. As the Ready MechanizedCompany Group (RMCG) in support of 1 RAR, the Army’s Ready Battle Group, thefocus has very much been on being ready to deploy should theneed arise. This has meant not only training across the soldieringspectrum, aware that the call could come from anywhere, but alsofocusing on the less glamorous but equally important element ofpre-deployment administration – a point highlighted from the factsoldiers from the Coy have conducted Battle PT en route to theDental Centre!!

On 19 Feb RMCG was reduced to 48hrs NTM ahead of a potentialdeployment with 1 RAR. Within hrs the RMCG grew in size to133 with 41 members arriving from elsewhere in the Bn, followedby a heavily resourced admin blitz ranging from dental and med check-ups to aSaturday morning BFA and follow on range package. Soon afterwards OC Delta waswhisked forward to Townsville while ongoing preparations continued apace.

Ultimately the RMCG did not deploy on this occasion but the potential projectionforward was an excellent ‘shake-out’. It enabled a huge, well resourced, strike intoAIRN Compliancy whilst also testing the Coy at all levels in terms of ForcePreparation and pre-deployment administration, coupled with some excellent trainingactivities from low-level TTP’s to a full scale Coy Strike Op – Ex Ready Tiger.

Ex Ready TigerCoy STRIKE Operation

With tensions rising in the‘TERRITORY’ the RMCG weredeployed forward to assist the localGovernment. A troublemakingelement, known as the ‘TerritoryLiberation Front’ (TLF), had startedransacking the capital D’arwin andcausing mayhem and unrest amongstthe population.

Once set in FOB Robertson the RMCG commenced its battle procedure, as continuedsituational updates came in, ahead of imminent Offensive Ops. A leading playerwithin TLF known simply as The QUARTERMASTER was due at a meet and

DELTA COMPANY

D COY 2IC CAPT Michael Kearns

The new M113AS4 on display on the BattalionBirthday Celebration

10

significant SIGINT/HUMINT suggested a lift was possible. To that end RMCG HQbegan to plan accordingly.

The plan essentially led to a STRIKE onto Tgt Alpha 1 to lift BRAVO 1 TheQUARTERMASTER with 10Pl providing the ISTAR element/Outer Cordonsupported by G31 (FO Party), 11Pl providing Inner Cordon and 12Pl the strike. OC12Pl continues:-

Once all the planning had been conducted it came down to 12PL to conduct theuneasy task of making the strike onto the objective building where ‘BRAVO 1’ waslikely to be. Orders and planning continued at earnest amongst the members of 12PL, and under the promise of hero worship and some door kicking, the men weregritting their teeth to get in and do the job.

The company stepped off and moved into their positions to conduct the operation,moving 150m from a road and closing in on the objective. For one red headedmember of 12 PL the excitement of waiting became all too much and he was quicklyevacuated from the area. This case of excitement later turned out to be heat illness.After some time it was confirmed that ‘BRAVO 1’ was in the area and it was time tostrike.

As with all foolproof plans, they never survive H-Hour. 11PL immediately got intocontact when moving in to set their cordon and 12 PL then rushed in to make thestrike. The entry went quite smoothly with bricks swarming the two target buildingsand quickly disposing of any threats within. There were some moments of concern forthe commanders on the ground such as one particular member asking the question,‘are we on red card yet?’, but these rumours of instantaneous changes to the rules of

engagement werequickly squashed. Theclearance of thebuilding was conductedsystematically andrelatively quickly by 12PL, claiming severalKIA and several PWs.

As it turned out,‘BRAVO 1’ had left thebuilding before 12 PL’sarrival, but wascaptured by the outercordon of the company.

With its first successful operationCarrier rides were one of the most popularstands at the Battalion Birthday

11

out of the way, RMCG retired to its hanger to rest up and wait for the next time it iscalled upon to spring into action.

Ex Ready Tiger was an excellent way to culminate ahead of the potential deploymentas it meant that the Coy complete, including Ech components, could deploy andconduct an Offensive Operation. As with anything like this there are always positiveaspects as well as areas that require more work and it is now the job of the Coy tocontinue to work hard ahead of the next time the ‘shout’ comes.

D Coy Notable Highlights from 2008 so far

Arrivals – MAJ Fletcher has arrived as OC D along with CAPT Kearns (ex-BritishArmy) as the XO. SGT Fraser to 10 Pl along with CPL Felstead to 12Pl and SGTHopper in as IC Fitter Sect. In addition, PTE’s Hill / Laidlaw / Chegwyn / Bleines /Boucher / Cook and Cannons.

Promotions – Congratulations to the following on promotion to LCPL – PTE’sBrydon / Westerland / A. P. Buckman

Congratulations to PTE Tlonan on his recent marriage to Rosianti.

Congratulations to PTE R. S. Hill on the birth of his son Zachary.

Battalion Birthday – PTE Oakford had the honour, as the Battalion’s junior soldier, tocut the Battalion Birthday Cake with the Commanding Officer and BrigadeCommander and the subsequent donning of the Tiger Suit!!!!

CHQ

From the top… CAPT Mackinlay is now the acting OC as MAJ Hanlon has headedoff on long service leave for a few months. The OC will be back in style from Junefollowing a trip around Australia. The acting CSM is WO2 Mark Wardell who isbest known as ‘the man with many hats’ given his multiple phone numbers andfrenetic lifestyle as Transport Pl Comd, TOCWO and OPSWO. Fortunately, hispersonality does not change between the various job descriptions. CPL Schilling isthe new clerk, with PTE Robinson as the orderly room runner. Together they makethe administrative force that is the Log Coy orderly room. WO2 Hicks will be takingup the CSM job after a short gig on the Supervisor Infantry Ops course in Cultana.Given that he is coming off a posting at Darwin Recruiting we will need to see hisphone number changed from 13 19 01 to allow the mad hatter to have one less hat

LOG COMPANY

12

and contact number. The Coy has had a successful barbeque at the Gary HolmesClub, some say it was to celebrate the end of the MAS audit, or perhaps to celebrateMAJ Hanlon going on leave. In any case, the families and partners of ‘The LogisticTiger clan’ gathered together for a relaxed afternoon of drinks and enjoying thecatering expertise. The year is set to be an exciting one for CHQ with an intensiveprogram of training ahead.

Catering

A fresh new year has yet arrived very quickly with a new but experienced troop, thisyear has seen a Reasonable turn around with catering staff. We have said good bye tosome missed members, and with the de-linking of the 5/7th Battalion we have nowbecome our own separate identities. Firstly we would like to welcome in:

WO2 Paul Carne from 2 RARSGT Marty Rabjohns from SASRSGT Stephen Herbert from ALTC, School of CateringCPL Guy Harmer from 2/14 LQHRCPL Quinton Newman from 2 CAV REGT

And we would like to farewell:

WO2 Rex Straughair (HQ 7 BDE)WO2 Jim Abram (3CSR)SGT Dave Wilson (discharge)LCPL Adam Banks (1 AVN REGT)PTE Apollo Lee (discharge)PTE Anthony Regnier (2 CAV REGT)PTE Anthony Stalhut (1CSSB)

As always we have started the year off with a bang by already deploying (the bestActing Caterer in the world) CPL John Carlton, PTE Jamie Tomlinson and PTEShannon Karl, off to Riffle Company Butterworth 81. The rest of the troop need notshed a tear as we will be on our way to sunny Cultana (AGAIN!!) in March!!

All in all it’s shaping up to be busy but yet quite a good year. The Platoon has gelledwell to start the year off. For all of those new to the Platoon Id like to take thisopportunity to welcome you.

RAP

The RAP 5 RAR has started off the New Year with personnel posting in and out. Wewelcome the new Medical Officer, CAPT Pronk and the new Nursing Officer, LT

WO2 Paul Carne from 2RAR and is now the WOCAT for 5 RAR

13

McFarlane from 1 CSSB and SGT Scott Cooper from 10/27 RSAR in Whyalla S.A.We also welcome back WOMED WO2 Birt, CPL Elkin, CPL Grace and CPL Willisfrom OBG (W)-3 IRAQ. Leaving us last year was SGT Greg Sinnott, off to EastTimor and CPL Dave Greenham, heading back to his home down in Victoria to SOA,Puckapunyal. R.N. Ray Johnston (sometimes LT Johnston), who has been here since2002, is back for an another busy year.

The start of the year has been a busy period with CPL Litsch off to Victoria for alanguage course and readiness of the Coys. We have run countless inoculationparades and medicals than you can poke a stick at. But with the very diverse group of

medical personnel we nowhave, it will be a walk in thepark; we’ve all done itbefore. So with all the Postand Pre deployment medicalsand getting personnel readyfor deployment, sick paradesand annual medicals, peopleneed to be patient with thestaff of the RAP, all willprevail with your assistance.

Transport

Firstly, we would like to welcome back from Post deployment leave CPL Leal, PTEDunn, PTE Etheridge and PTE Dalton to the PL. These members have just returnedback from OBG(W)-3 Iraq and boy aren’t they glad to be back after spending sixmonths working out of Bush Masters assuming the responsibilities of a CrewCommander. It was indeed an enjoyable trip for the lads and quite challenging roles,a trip that will never be forgotten by each member.Just when we thought the PL was regrouping and the chance for drivers to meet &greet, well we thought wrong when CPL Domjahn, PTE Gulbin, PTE Cottee and PTEMagill were deployed to RCB Malaysia. We hope they are enjoying themselvesoverseas and come back with some memories & stories to tell.

Not long ago several drivers have departed for Townsville as part of the HR2 MackCourse getting run by WO2 Wardell with PTE Dunn, PTE Ingram as students, PTEDalton and PTE Frost as instructors. Drive back safely guys don’t drink too much(Coca-Cola).

The HRV on display at theBattalion’s Birthday

14

We would like to wish (soon to be SGT), CPL Macdonald all the best on his SUB 1for SGT course currently being conducted here in RTC-NT. We would like tofarewell PTE Raaen who’s been posted to 1 CSSB and PTE Cachia who’s joined thecivvie world good luck guys.

As you can see the PL has been spread out in different states and different countriesand once the whole PL has come back to the unit, we still have a long and busy year

ahead of us (Cultana, Cultana,Cultana).Well that just about wraps up thetails in Truckie World, once againwe would like to welcome our newmembers and farewell that havedeparted.

Tech SupportThe Tech Support Platoon has hada busy start to the year with manymembers returning fromdeployment, a shuffle in Manpowerstaffing and the introduction of thenew march ins. It is production asper usual on the shop floor with thefocus being on getting theBattalions companies back on line

and fully functional. The hierarchy within the Pl has not changed too much with theASM WO1 Brian Bosworth in the same seat and the new PL COMD LT Brian Smith.

With drivers, trade and promotion courses the workshop is looking a bit vacant at themoment and even though the numbers are down on the floor the dependency remainshigh.

The beginning of the year has seen a focuswithin the Pl on attaining and maintainingAIRN status. BFA’s AIRN shoots and DP1checks have been a priority for thebeginning of the year as we attempt to getthe Pl back on track for a productive andexciting new year. The challenges aheadare looking to provide much entertainmentfor the members of the Pl where everyonewill be depended upon as an integral partof the Tiger Technical Support Pl. CFN

PTE Dunn and Frost on the Mack Course

CFN Grime working hard

15

Phil King and his partner Rebecca Skinner gave birth to the latest member of theextended Tiger Battalion Mahalia born on the 10th of March 2008. The members ofthe Pl wish CFN king and his new family the best of luck and a safe and healthyfuture.

Main-QThe Main Q has been working hard after returning from the stand down period.Several of the key players returning early after post deployment leave on OBG (W) 3.Currently have CAPT David Graham as the QM, WO1 Ricky Smith as the RQMS.They make a good team in humour and profession. The Q has been host to the MASand ACAT this year, and is set into a battle rhythm pushing toward of a moreefficient organisation. Of note, the Q had the star performers behind the rifle at theWTSS in initial testing this year.

7 Platoon head out on another patrol, as a part of OBG(W) 3