CMF Engineers DPR/TV/1501

CMF engineers in New South Wales claim a first...the longest floating Army bridge built in Australia since World War 2. It was built during a two-week exercise, "Skimmer", on the Nepean River at Penrith, for 90 members of 14th Field Squadron, Newcastle, NSW, and 5th Field Squadron, Haberfield, NSW. Both units are part of Royal Australian Engineers 2nd Division, with headquarters at Haberfield, Sydney. For the exercise, they were formed into 5th Field Squadron Group, commanded by former Regular Army officer, Major Norm Griffiths of Wahroonga, NSW. Fifty soldiers of the Newcastle unit took 36 hours to erect the 466 ft Class 30 Light Floating Bridge from coupled 12 1/2 ft pre-fabricated aluminium sections. The CMF sappers drew 50 truck loads of bridging equipment for the exercise from 6th Engineer Stores Regiment, Penrith. Other aspects of the exercise, conducted also at Camp Sapper, on the Georges River, included manoeuvres in assault boats and various classes of tactical rafts.