Army surveyors in Sumatra DPR/TV/1571

Accession Number F04591
Collection type Film
Measurement 6 min 13 sec
Object type Actuality footage, Television news footage
Physical description 16mm/b&w/silent
Maker Buckley, Barry Robert
Place made Netherlands East Indies: Sumatra
Date made August 1973
Access Open
Conflict Period 1970-1979
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Description

The Australians, from the Perth-based 5th Field Survey Squadron, are working on the third phase of the mapping project, code-named Operation Gading, meaning elephant tusk. Headed by Major Hugh Taylor of Fremantle, Western Australia, the main body of the surveyors is based at Medan in northern Sumatra. The Director of the Indonesian Armed Forces Surveying and Mapping, Brigadier-General Pranoto Asmoro, headed a group of senior Indonesian officers who paid an official visit to the Australians recently. The group inspected the camp and it's highly-sophisticated equipment, and met and talked with soldiers and airmen as they worked and relaxed. The mapping operation began in 1971. About half of the 164,123-square mile island has now been remapped. Soldiers of the survey unit, and airmen of No. 9 and No. 35 Squadrons RAAF, work as a team on the operation. Additional air support is provided by a Pilatus Porter aircraft from the Army's 1st Aviation Regiment at Amberley in Queensland. During his tour of the camp, which is located in a disused banana plantation, Brigadier-General Pranoto met the Assistant Operations Officer, Warrant Officer Class One Bob McKenna of Kenwick, WA. During the operation the soldiers spend up to six weeks operating remote survey stations in the rugged hinterland of Sumatra. Frequently the only way the stations can be reached is by helicopter. At one station, perched on the side of a 1,000 foot ridge line is Corporal Phil Bray of Seaton in South Australia. Sharing the solitude with Phil is Corporal Lamidin of the Indonesia Army. Both of the men have only a basic knowledge of each other's language. Near the station is a native village and the local people and children are constant companions for the two men. Through Corporal Lamidin Phil Bray explains the importance of the survey and shows the villagers how the equipment works.

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