Adventures Down Under

Each year Surrey ACF organises an exchange trip with the Western Australia Army Cadet Force called Exercise Southern Cross. This reciprocal agreement saw Surrey cadets and staff head off to Australia this year and this is their story from an Australian perspective:

Day 1 - 2.20am

The most eagerly awaited flight of the year touched down at 2.20 am on Mon, 02 Jul 07. The weather was not exactly inviting - in fact we blamed our English mates for bringing the rain and wind with them. The Surrey team looked surprisingly fresh despite the long flight. Kit issues and some guts up (ie: sleep) will round out today.

8.20pm

Believe it or not, as I write this, some hardy Surrey ACF souls are still awake - 20 hrs after arrival! The Contingent received an issue of kit and had fun assembling Aussie webbing and getting used to the lingo - Hootchies = Bashers; Auspack = Bergens etc. I discovered that what Aussies call "thongs" you Poms call "flip-flops" and so that when I said, "Please wear thongs at all times in the Lines - there were a few startled looks and the odd giggle. The food has been great, the weather less so - and the Surrey team all are well and smiling!

Day 2

After a good night's sleep everyone was raring to go today. We started with a simple wreath laying ceremony at the State War Memorial at King's Park - a pristine bush land park on Perth's doorstep. Cadet Under Officer Jump spoke well and the sub-Warden's were impressed by the Surrey ACF marching. Then it was off to an Aboriginal talk about bush medicine and tucker and a didgeridoo and dance display. Top effort by LCPL Cowler who got a great sound out of the didgeridoo first time! A picnic lunch at King's Park and a river cruise back to Freo (ie: Fremantle) and time for some shopping rounded out our day.

Day 3

Another good night's sleep and a dash south today to visit HMAS Stirling - Australia's largest naval base - a fabulous day looking at Submarine escape gear, local fauna, a great lunch and then a chance to drive a submarine - well a simulator anyway. After dinner, we went to Fremantle Heritage Prison - for a torch-lit tour - a bit of a busman's holiday for Maj Jones who gave a better commentary than the tour guide. The team is happy but tired - looking forward to another good day tomorrow. Weather mostly fine today!

Day 4

Another good night's sleep and a dash south today to visit HMAS Stirling - Australia's largest naval base - a fabulous day looking at Submarine escape gear, local fauna, a great lunch and then a chance to drive a submarine - well a simulator anyway. After dinner, we went to Fremantle Heritage Prison - for a torch-lit tour - a bit of a busman's holiday for Major Jones who gave a better commentary than the tour guide. The team is happy but tired - looking forward to another good day tomorrow. Weather mostly fine today!

Day 5

Another busy day with glorious weather - a balmy 20 degrees Celsius. We started with a drive tour of Perth and then headed to Wellington Army Surplus store for an opportunity to off-load some Sterling. After a picnic lunch at the Bell Tower overlooking the Swan River, we headed to Cottesloe Beach for a bracing dip in the Indian Ocean - then it was back to Barracks for warm showers to thaw out. Dinner at Jimmy Dean's Diner was great - a wonderful view of the sunset over the ocean. CUO Jump got a birthday cake even though it wasn't his birthday - you will have to ask him how that happened! All in bed now ready for pre-Camp prep tomorrow.

Day 6 and the camp element of Exercise Southern Cross

Today the Surrey ACF team were joined by local cadets preparing to deploy to Annual Camp. Cadet Sergeant Major Aroskin is doing a fantastic job as CSM of B COY (the best of the two - you can tell I am the COY Commander!!). CUO Jump is also gainfully employed and doing a similarly great job in A COY. Today was a busy day - first sorting cadets in to the correct Company, checking paperwork and making sure everyone had the correct kit. Next, some revision training and then a series of briefings (safety, heat illness, weapons safety etc). As I write this, cadets are sorting out their personal kit ready for tomorrow.

On arrival at Learmonth, we had dinner then set up our company harbours in an area of scrub adjacent to the Air Force base (RAAF Learmonth). The landscape is spectacular with deep red soil, low shrubs and trees and at night - the clearest skies you can imagine - stars by the billions shining brightly.

The next few days saw the Surrey ACF contingent take part in lots of activities including:

Abseiling and climbing in the beautiful gorge rock around Learmouth.

A day at Sandy Bay - a pristine white sand beach with crystal clear water - that saw our friends involved in raft races, command tasks and a few beach sports.
The spectacular scenery of the Cape Range National Park kept us enthralled on our hike through the wilderness.

The Skill-at-Arms activity gave the cadets the chance to test their skills in an arduous route march. Along the wat, cadets were presented with a range of challenges including first aid, weapon handling, cam & concealment, observation and radio communications.

Day 12

On our way back to Perth from Learmouth we stopped off at 16th Battalion's depot at Geraldton for a very welcome BBQ. 16th Battalion is part of the Royal Western Australian Regiment. After the BBQ we visited the memorial to HMAS Sydney who was sunk during WWII by the German raider Komorant with the loss of 645 Australian sailors.

Day 13

Well, the day is finally here - our Surrey mates are getting ready to go home. First, it was handing kit back, then packing and cleaning stores and finally a dismissal parade. The Surrey team presnted key personnel with outstanding mementoes as a thank you. After the formalities we changed into mufti and headed off to the Fremantle Markets for some last minute shopping!