© By Bob Cavill C Coy & Assault Pioneers 1st Tour

Night navigation exercises were carried out in the O'Hare's Creek area South-West of Sydney. Topographically this was a wilderness tableland cut by deep sandstone gorges. I can remember staggering around in pouring rain in the pitch dark any exposed skin being affected by the native prickly clawing vegetation. Moving though the darkness via the dim green incandescent face of a compass, we would discover numerous edges and cliffs where one could literally fall to one's death. During these exercises we would often get into blind gorges and have to retrace back, or use toggle ropes to get out, a particularly unnerving experience even in moonlight and no place for sufferers of vertigo. All the while knowing if we did not get to the nominated grid reference (location of trucks) in time, we would be 'force-marched' all the way back to the Ingleburn Barracks, some 15 miles away. This last was typical of the army's methods at the time, and a seriously effective motivation for success in refining one's navigation/map reading skills.

Another man collapsed completely exhausted after the rain-event navigation night exercise. Short of the designated grid reference pick-up point; he collapsed and refused to get up, then refused to answer or speak at all to the RDI's. Arrested, he was taken back by vehicle, charged with 'Dumb Insolence' placed in a cell in the guardroom near the gates at Bardia Barracks. I saw him there myself while on guard duty the next day. He said they had tried to talk him out of it, but he just wanted out ... I never saw him again.

Guard duty was another test of endurance, your kit (clothes boots hat etc) had to be perfectly pressed, polished, positioned, hat, chinstrap buckle in line with the mouth, boots spit polished, the instep of the boot polished, or the back of the hat badge could be suddenly inspected, dirty fingernails were a no-no, clean, wash, press, polish, etc, etc. It could take up to six hours to achieve the necessary standard for one guard duty and sometimes 30-40 minutes just to get dressed for it .Still wearing boots AB, and gaiters' in those days you would lay down on your back to get the board-hard starched greens on, you would get your mates to put your gaiters on so as not to destroy those creases. Starched greens once on, you could not sit down until after the ceremonial mount/changing of the guard. Drill movements and timing during Ceremonial Guard Mounts had to be perfect. Best dressed got to go!....straight to the pub. For the twelve left, hands had to strike the rifle stocks with a single smack on 'Present Arms' or it would have to be done again and again. Guard duty at the gate involved standing still in a guard box, rigidly 'at ease' for two hour periods at a time and in summer when air temperatures went up to 36 celsius, God forbid you swatted a fly! You were allowed to move a few paces forward and back to keep the blood going, but this could not be done without about seven drill movements. These would have to be perfect, it was better not to try this too often, because the Infantry Centre RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) could see the guard on duty at the gate from his office, and he took a great interest in proceedings. He would note for instance when any officer staff cars entered or left the duty guard came to attention and the 'Present Arms' or a 'Butt Salute' was correctly given. Anything not to his liking would mean a loss of leave or roster duty for the miscreant...123-1 123-1 you had better be counting because he was!

After about eight weeks into this relentless intensive training a change started to take place deep within the psyche of the survivors, we were actually starting to feel pretty bloody good about ourselves. We were actually starting to laugh a little, the whole thing did not feel to be as hard anymore and we almost knew what we were doing now. Also there was a subtle change taking place in the attitude of the RDI's they were starting to inject more positive re-enforcement into the mix and we were now given the occasional accolade or two. This would do wonders for one's confidence and was the more valued for being only ever hard won and rarely given. I remember on one occasion, many of us having reached the level of Marksman on the rifle range, an RDI walking over saying 'well done Private Cavill'. I had never up to this point been addressed as anything but 'recruit' it was almost a four letter word I was so overcome, I almost burst into tears, the fact that I had actually pleased this bloke, seemed like a miracle.

My girlfriend Christine had produced a child, our daughter Robyn, born on the 5 march 65. Given the standards of the time it was prudent we married as soon as possible. I fronted the platoon Sergeant, told him I needed to get married. He was not convinced I being rostered on that weekend, he saw this as some dastardly snivelling recruit-ish scheme to avoid guard duty. I changed the wedding day to the Friday before and went back to camp soon after the ceremony to mount guard duty that afternoon.

Some days later after filling out the necessary paperwork to allow my wife to receive her allotment from my army pay, he apologised in front of the whole platoon - a rare honour indeed, and signed a leave chit giving me 3-4 days off. Though these were hard men, most of the RDI's had a sense of honour, something I have found to be extremely rare since leaving the Army.

On marching out of Bardia Barracks the 'survivors' had formed a bond the main adhesive being this singular life changing experience, a searing psychological and physical high-jump they called infantry training.

A short while after this training period at Ingleburn I was transferred to the newly forming 5th Battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment, based at the time at Gallipoli Barracks near Sydney. there we awaited our mates among the first intake of  national servicemen. Further specialised Assault Pioneer and Jungle Training at Canungra and in New Guinea followed.

Soon 'Canungra' ... it was not over!

We had been 'metamorphosed,' gone from a tawdry bunch of pimply faced shallow youths who, when later flawlessly blended with the national servicemen to follow, would form what was arguably some of the best light Infantry soldiers this country had ever produced.

The men standing beside me who now received the shoulder badges of the RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) were survivors, they where the product of an intense physical and psychological catalytic process that allowed those that did not get over the line, not to have failed the army, but to have failed the Infantry. The products of this reduction process would prove in Vietnam to be among the best trained and best led Australian soldiers, ever to have left their country on active service. They proved to be, both in spirit and in fact, true grandsons of the Anzacs as they stood their ground against probably the most effective Jungle fighters in the world at the time, on their own terms, The N V A

After the retreat from South Vietnam, some nine battalions of the most experienced and valuable combat troops ever to have been retained by any country had returned. what did our countries new leaders do with them?

In 1973 the dismantling of the National Service Program and the resultant dismissal of related personnel, within a matter of days crippled both the morale and the operating capacity of the Royal Australian Regiment.

This decision, rejecting the implementation of a slower more phased reduction of National Service by the newly elected government, amounted to a culpable act of political payback directed at the army's higher echelons for backing what was seen at the time as the wrong side.

It was a tragedy that resulted in the loss of over half the regiment's battalions and the 'bleeding out' of many professional officers and experienced men, from a thus reduced and contracting defence force. In my opinion, it was a decision that is directly related to the difficulties faced by the country today, as we try to build both the image of and the numbers in, the defence forces, and in particular, the Royal Australian Regiment.

 

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