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MAKING
FRIENDS: ABET Russell Bartlett with member of the Croker
Island Community.
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Photo:
PONPC Graeme Meadowcroft
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By
LEUT Peter Taylor
HMAS
Betano set sail from Darwin in February 2005 for a task in support
of Norforce, the Army’s Northern Territory Regional Force Surveillance
Unit (RFSU).
Almost as a means of celebrating her 31st birthday, Betano the
youngest LCH of the fleet commanded by LCDR Michael Oborn, displayed
the usefulness of the RAN’s amphibious workhorses with another
unusual tasking.
Norforce Darwin Squadron (OC – Major Campbell Waterman) wished
to visit six remote coastal outstations in the top end to conduct
community engagement and training of reservist Norforce soldiers
living within these communities.
Close liaison between Betano and Norforce hatched a plan involving
visits to the communities of Wadeye (Port Keats), Nguiu, Paru
and Milikapiti (Tiwi Islands), Minjilang (Croker Island), and
Warruwi (South Goulburn Island). A typical community visit had
Betano sailing overnight to anchor in safe water offshore.
The jetboat was then slipped to take soundings along a planned
track to the proposed beach landing site. As the littoral waters
of the top end are often not well surveyed navigational safety
was paramount.
If the beach was suitable, Betano proceeded to the landing site
to offload the landrovers and insert the land based patrols for
their Community Engagement.
Once the shore activities were complete, Norforce invited community
elders and school children back to Betano for a ship’s tour and
BBQ.
The entire activity saw Betano host hundreds of people on “open
days” at anchor, in what many people would consider ‘some of the
remotest places on the planet’.
For example, at Minjilang Community, Croker Is, over 100 locals
visited the ship, representing over a quarter of the entire population.
Betano’s northern adventure
