On Saturday, I (along with my long-term mate Ken Wriedt) attended a service at Puckapunyal to unveil a plaque commemorating its role in training the thousands of young National Servicemen over the years from the 1950s to 1972. We always preferred to be called National Servicemen (shortened to its slang term of ‘Nasho’s) rather than conscripts.
The March-Out Parade of the 1st of the Vietnam War period National Service Intakes in 1966. I was in the 13th intake in 1968. Four of these training intakes were conducted each year.
A small crowd of around 150 people attended the unveiling. The plaque is located at the entrance to the mess in the old National Service Lines. Only about half of the accomodation huts and facilities now exist and are used by Reserve Army soldiers for accommodation during their residential periods but the buildings are still in vey good condition.
Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as “Pucka”) is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria. It covers an area of about 400 square kilometres of bushland and former pasture used for field training exercises. It is home to the Australian Army’s School of Armour, the School of Artillery and the School of Transport, along with the Combined Arms Training Centre, the Joint Logistics Unit, and two transport squadrons. The Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Army Tank Museum are also on the grounds of the base and the facilities are used by the Victorian Australian Army Cadets Brigade. Apart from the military education and training venues, there is a a small town, a primary school, shops, a variety of sporting facilities, and a theatre.
Coincidentally ( I think), the Nasho’s Assiociation held their annual parade and commemoration service on the same day.
We were invited to a BBQ lunch at the Sergeants Mess at the School of Artillery which we reached by shuttle bus after a long wait. It’s obvious that nothing much has changed – we had always do a lot of ‘hurrying up and waiting’ whilst in the army.
Saturday was also the day that the Army was holding open day at many of its bases across the country. Ken and I spent the last part of the day browsing around some impressive equipment that was on display from the three training centers on the base.
A 177 mm towed howitzer. It has an effective range of up to 30 km.
A new version of the Abrams tank
The Bushmaster Armoured Personnel Transport vehicle (Australian designed and made at Bendigo)
The Boxer Armoured Reconnoissance Vehicle
Australian designed Hawkei Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
The Rheinmetal Armoured GP Cargo Truck. If I was still a driver in the army, this is the sort of vehicle that I would now be driving, It carries a crew of three (driver, co-driver, gunner) and carries 15 tonnes.
