Story 6 - The Last Route Reconnaissance
Before Cyclone Tracy
'GOING TO GOVE
PENINSULA'
NORTHERN TERRITORY
August 1974
I dedicate this Story of my time with all those former members
of 125 Signal Squadron whom I knew and with whom I proudly served
LtCol Peter Kerntke
SSM Kevin Plummer CMF
SCC Edwards (Tanker) Hawkens
SSgt Barry Hubble STT
Sgt Scotty Laycock SQMS
Sgt Nicko Nickleson SQMS
Sgt Bob Moss RadTp/Ops Sgt
Sgt Denis Kirkman RadTp Sgt
Cpl Doug Purcell RadOp Det Comd
Cpl Keith Woods RadOp Det Comd
Lcpl Bob Hatley RadOp DetComd
Lcpl Daryle Martin TechElec
Sig John Whitehead TechTg
Sig Fred Hathaway RadOp
Part One
The Story which I am about to relate to
you, is about our account of the Unit and the NT Command's
historical trip to Gove Peninsula, and the visit to Nhulunbuy....a
remote mining town and Aboriginal Community at the Gove
Peninsula. I endeavour to relate the story, warts and all,
and with all the Soldier humour within, from my recollections of the
trip. It is a fascinating story of true experiences and
situations that should be enjoyed by all. Before I begin...I
want to dedicate this Story in the first instance to our dear mate
Keith Woods who only passed away three years ago.
Shortly after arriving back to the
Barracks after the trip....Keith penned a one page Poem ditty of our
Unit's exploits and disasters during the trip....and he labeled it
'Going To Gove'. His ditty has disappeared over the
years....So here, I flesh out and add the details as I recall it.
The Command was heading into the 1974
'dry season activities'. It had it's first 'Ops Group'
conference in May 1974 according to Peter Kerntke....'to get our
assets out there into the wilderness'. Peter was
CSO in the Command, and was part of the Ops Group. The
initiative to go to Gove was PC Kerntke's suggestion. He suggested
the Command do a recce to Gove Peninsula, when he discovered the
last time the Command had been up that way, was in
1958. "Why don't we (the Command) go to Gove this year.....it has
been almost 20 years since the Command visited our most northern WW2
gun post?.....and the most northern WW2 Airstrip. . The purpose
being to update the Military Maps for the Registry, and spend
time in a 'good will' visit to Nhulunbuy and the Yirrkala Aboriginal
Settlement. Nhulunbuy is the tip of north-east
Arnhem Land, and home to the bauxite mine created by a Swiss company
NABALCO early 1960s. The mine boasted the longest
open-conveyor belt system in Australia at the time...over 30klm long
from the mining operation to the loading facilities on the Gove
wharf. The Group planned to be away for two weeks.
In my previous posts about the Unit, I
have endeavored to describe to you all, the role and function of our
little CADRE Staff Signal Squadron that lived in Larrakeyah Barracks
Darwin. My posting to this Unit for two years and some,
when I was there, changed my life in many ways. For all of us,
in all those little Units, it was akin to living a continual
adventure, when our Tasks, during the dry-season, took us to the
deepest and remotest parts of the Territory and at times, to
Northern WA.
This trip was only the third by the
Command since the War.... So the trip was on. Set for
the first weekend in August. The Convoy consisted of two MK3
stores trucks.. A fuel truck Mark3, all with trailers, a LAD
rover/trailer, two Radio Detachment fitted with
AN/GRC106 and also a AN/PRC-47 radios. For VHF we had
AN/GRC160 radio. Also there were two
Engineer Troop L/R, a Medical Rover with a Corporal Medic and a
civilian Doctor... and three other Landrovers with trailers.
All CES and rationed up. I was the Recce DetComd Vehicle in
the lead, and I sat in the back on my bodgie Operators Seat (VW
bucket seat) which totally pissed the RAEME off as it was 'Not
Approved'! (all 4 of our Dets had these seats)....
In the front was Peter Kerntke (driving and navigating....I swear he
never passed map reading at Portsea).....with the NT Commander LtCol
R B (Buck) Rodgers complete with cane and peak cap. He arrived later
and joined us at the gate.
So the convoy left the barracks early
on the first Saturday morning in August. Headed down the track
to Katherine to regroup, rest,refuel etc. After 80klm or so,
we turned off the highway towards Mataranka and entered the dirt
track. 5klm later, halted at the Mataranka Police Post (Gate).
No one can enter Arnhem Land without a 'Certificate of Entry' issued
by the Federal Aboriginal Commission.....at the time.
Of course...our fearless leaders hadn't waited or chased up the
Certificate to arrive that approved our travel through the area.?
On turning off the highway, a rover continued on down the road to
Elsey Homestead Station airstrip, to pick up the Commander who flew
down from Darwin in the RAAF DC3, flown by none other than the RAAF
Commander himself Group Captain DW Hitchins (Dougie). This DC3
was his baby.....only months later to be picked up by Cyclone Tracy,
and thrown through the air (100 metres) and landing on its back in
the front garden of his Base residence.....Anyway. Col
Rodger arrives at the gate to discover the hold up and as he said in
his own words "I'm extremely angry....how is this possible"
(you don't say Boss)... So two hours went past with many phone
calls to Darwin and Canberra and AHQ etc....and finally the Cop
smiled and let us through yelling "I hope you blokes have got plenty
to drink cause there ain't no Pubs along the way and stick to
the well-used tracks boys ...and you can't go
wrong"!!....Yeah?...you don't know this crowd mate..... And
Buck jumps into the front seat and says...."Carry on Captain"....
Now...Keith Woods det was tailing up at
the end of the convoy with Woody in the back, with my offsider and
his det-member driving and Woody keeping an eye on the map reading.
Keeping in comms with our Barracks Base Station VMH. They were
our 'safety watch and guard'. There were no roads in
those days where we were going....all bush tracks....like spaghetti
going everywhere. Cpl Bryan McConkey, Doug Purcell, and Eddie
Edwards manned the base station. With Tanker Hawkens breathing
down their necks. The Base Station was always manned
when our Dets went out.
So we are snaking along at
bush-track-speed and Peter K is feeling pretty confident about his
map reading. We approached our first river crossing, after
three hours. There was a huge tree in a cleared area
(obviously trampled by stock to get into the shade near the river
fording entrance. There were a dozen 44 Gal drums or so there
....so in we go... and crossed the river and came out the other
side, (quite steep also) and we all made it. We continued on
for about another two hours or so crossing other minor rivers and
creeks etc.....and then we approached another major crossing, with
another big tree with another dozen 44 gallon drums....."Hey
Boss....I'm suffering from 'Deja Vu'....or haven't we seen those
same drums before?....and that tree?? "Shutup Brownie"
PC yells... So Buck orders a stop....gets out the Maps
onto the bonnet of the LR and have decko at the 1:100,000....PC
decides to let me drive and he map-reads in the back.....and so we
are off again....and by about this time, I thought to myself that PC
would be getting a little bit nervous. And Woody
pipes up and tells us where we went wrong. Now....not only was
Woody an artist, a piano player, had a restricted VFR single wing
aircraft Pilots licence, and was an expert map reader, he knew how
to apply a compass to a map. And....he was the bloody
'NT Command' Soldier of the Year Award 1973!!. And I won it this
year! 1974 and Woody claims I diddled him...
So we are making headway and we camp
for the night near a creek around 1700hrs.....fire, food and a few
tinnies and a horrible night if you didn't have a mossie net.
All I know at that time we were heading north. Then early in
the next day around 1000hrs, the convoy came across a
swampy area where the track ran straight through. It was about
100 metres long with water still covering the track. The
convoy halted and as lead vehicle with the Boss, we scouted
around to higher ground to see if we could get through.....but no.
So...PC says "have a go Brownie" and I got through with PC on board
and the Colonel left behind....I barely made it....and I was the
only one to get to the other side on hard ground. Next
and behind me was another Landrover (I cant remember who was driving
it but he nearly made it and I towed him out. Next was one of
the Mk3 trucks and it decided to have a go....driven by some crazy
ass Tpt dude....and he bogged down in the middle. This was the
bad patch. So that was it. It was hopeless.
Everything stopped. Couldn't winch....no trees.... So it
was shovels out and dig. We did it in teams...we dug huge
holes under the wheels down to firmer ground....shoving anything we
could find under the wheels. And there was Woody up to
his armpits in mud. We were totally exhausted... It took
us 6 hours to get the convoy out of there. We filled the
holes with what we could find. Ask Geoff Molineaux...he
was there...
So...we got to the Goyder River
crossing around 1700hrs and decided to call it a day as we were all
stuffed. Now...this part is fascinating. Now the Goyder
River has many tributaries and are all known as the 'Goyder River'.
Our track north crosses the river near an area known as 'Bulmans
Holes'. These are fresh water springs around the river area
that supports the local ecology. Getting near the
crossing...we came across a huge complex of semi-trailers all joined
end on end by connecting membranes much like carriages in a train.
There were 6 of them. And a trailer that was all diesel
generators providing power. There were 6 or so toyota jeeps
with huge clamping devices hanging off the front of the vehicles.
These were the clamps that captured running beasts like beef and
buffaloes. This was an operation that were out there in the
middle of nowhere ...harvesting buffaloes. The Jeeps would
arrive with 2/4 buffs in the back and unload them at the end of the
trailer complex. A gantry jig out the back of the
slaughter trailer would hook up the dead animals and convey
them into the trailer to be processed.... from there, the animals
would go through this process til they came out at the final
trailer, all carved up and packed into big 100kg boxes and into
the last freezer trailer. All the skin and offal and
everything else was loaded onto a truck that took it out to the
other side of the river to the 'grave yard'....
So we set up camp that night 200 metres
from the river. Quite cosy with a big fire and for our BBQ.
Our Bosses went over to the Complex and introduced themselves and
invited the bosses to come that night and partake in a BBQ and some
beers. We set the trucks and vehicles up in a semi-circle with
festoon lighting for safety. So the Manager and foreman turned
up with a box of Buff meat (rump and rib) and we all got stuck into
it.....a bit green as it was fresh but who cared!... a pleasant
night under the stars with all sorts of sounds and noises of the
wild life ....and the barking of crocs....what? until the Boss told
us the river is loaded with Crocs....(Faarrk!!) Be careful.
So they staggered back to their complex and we got ready for the
farter.
Now....this Doctor that came with us
was a very interesting guy. In the lead up to organising this
trip...PC went looking for a Doctor. He ended up in the Darwin
Hospital and was invited to a morning tea of Senior Staff. He
said he needed a Doctor to come with us....'any volunteers'???...
blank faces but for one dude....An international Doctor recently
arrived in the NT as a career move for him. His name was Aran
Murajani. A Sri Lankan and a Surgeon...been in country for five
months and he immediately volunteered as he wanted to see his new
country. This guy was highly qualified spending 15 years
in the British Medical System.....but best of all....he was a great
nice guy and totally enthusiastic. The Governor of the Darwin
Hospital appointed him as the NT Medical Inspector, and to assess
the medical facilities in the Gove region. Aran stayed
in Darwin, with a young family and went through the Cyclone also.
He was mentioned in dispatches for his skill in patching up so many
of the injured. He is 82 and retired and his three sons are also
Doctors in Darwin to this day. And so....almost lights
out and he was agitated that he wanted to have a crap (somewhere)
and since Geoff Molinox was acting SSM he chased him down, and Geoff
gave him a shovel and told him to walk out to the tree line
near the end of the light....pick a spot and dig a hole and do your
business. "Watch out for Crocs Doc'....he yells.....
Meanwhile Brownie is there with Geoff ..so I ducks around in the
dark beyond the light to prank this bloke. He is backing
away from the light and finds a suitable invisible spot...digs his
hole (and by this time he is busting) ...drops his dacks.. and I
lets out a very authentic imitation long loud bark of a male Croc
(was about 15 metres away from him)....on hearing this....he screams
and runs towards the light with his dacks around his ankles...."Mr
Molineaux Mr Molineaux there is a bloody croc out there chasing
me'.... Geoff took him to a safe place to have a crap
(underneath the POL truck). We blamed the smell on Pte Boland
who was the driver.....
The next day. 0600hrs all up
ready to move out at 0700hrs. And off we went across the river
(and quite a wide crossing too) then across 400 meters of the 'bad
lands' ....the buffaloes grave yard. There were hundreds of
neat piles of offal with the skull on top. This place totally
stunk vomit style....but the blokes begged to stop and go out and
get some buff horns. Me too...and I still have mine.
"Okay...fine...away you go...you got five minutes. The
hard guts guys got their horns (including me and i still have them)
and got back throwing up everywhere....and off we went again.
This day was our longest day.....and
our biggest map-reading failure. Around noon we arrived at a type of
cross road (track with three branches). PC decides we take the
North fork.... after 4 hours we are heading North following a
major river.....and Woody pipes up on the radio and says "Folks...we
are going the wrong way....we are supposed to be heading North
East".... "Ah shaddup Woody....what the hell would you
know"!!. So...we are driving driving, heading North and it is
getting darker and darker and it just does not make sense. And
then ....suddenly....I come to a 'T' intersection as our lead Rover.
The Commander decides to stop while the convoy catches up.
Stop, Switch off....dismount....gathering.... It was clear we were
lost. And we weren't goin anywhere. We had arrived
at the very edge at the top of this very high escarpment. We
shouldn't be anywhere near this spot and caluclated 200 klm
from our destination .... In the moonlight we looked down across 20
klm of flat land to the Arafua Sea in the distance.
'Dismount ...Parade'....and it was about 1900hrs in the dark.
'O' Group. The Commander..."It is clear we have lost our way
at the moment.....so we will bivouac here for the night. Capt
PC and Cpl Brown I will travel East down the escarpment to that
light we can see away in the distance (about 15klm or so) and see if
there is someone there who can tell us where we are and to establish
our bearings'.
Oh beaudy mate! "Cpl Brown
prepare the vehicle for the trip"....So, I'm driving....the Colonel
in the front and PC in the back and down we go....seemed like ages.
All downhill slowly on an unforgiving track with twists and turns
and poor light. About an hour later we turn into a track that
led us to this stone/concrete suburban type house....with no windows
or doors and with two tilly lamps....one outside and one inside.
So we drives slowly up to the house. Obviously built of
concrete during the War to house somebody.... We were about 15
metres from the front and we all got out. Inside there were
four young Aboriginal blokes playing pool on a pool table that had
no cloth top etc... and they wandered out to meet us and stood on
the verandah....with their pool sticks in their hands.
LtCol RB Rogers is an old fashioned
Officer....always quite proper and a little bit stuffy. He
knew me from 1 Signal Regiment 64/65 days working as a steward in
the Officers Mess during duty week etc....this situation would have
been very unfamiliar to him.....but I could see that he wanted to
get a grip on this.
We stood there. The Commander
Buck Rodger walks forward in his Peak Cap and swagger stick and
starts the conversation. And this is how it went.....more or
less.....Like something out of when Henry Stanley finally says those
famous words 'Doctor Livingston I presume' on finding him near Lake
Tanganyika Africa. "I am big Chief of Army in
Darwin and my name is blog blog etc etc....We are on our way to
Nhulunbuy and we are lost.....can you help us and direct us on how
to get to Nhulunbuy from here please" PC's eyes roll
back in his head and I thought 'Go Buck' ....."Weeel...yes
mate....we can help yous....but can you turn your bloody lights off
cause we cant see you and we cant see our snooker balls".
Your about 150 K outa your way....Go back up to the junction
and turn around then another 135K to Gove".... "Where yous went
wrong was at that last three-way junction way down the track there
was a tire up in the tree....and a roll of toilet paper and that's
where you shoulda turned right....to Gove...".
Now, this bloke stood there with the cue in his hand like the others
.....and PC was worried .....I said relax ...."these blokes are
ringers and cow men.....they work here"....So the Colonel exchanged
pleasantries and was about to turn away and one of the blokes ask
"That info is worth a few smokes mate hey?...got any smokes'?...
"Captain Kerntke will you give these men your cigarettes please"....
"My pleasure Sir"....The blokes were happy and so were we.
So....we track back up the escarpment to the convoy ...a brief on
the next day's activities etc and up and away at 0700hrs. And
during our demise all that way....Woody is on the VHF telling me we
are going the wrong way.....we are heading North instead of North
East....
So, we are off the next morning.
And yes...after nearly 5 hours we found the tire in the tree and
took the right track.. We had a break there and had lunch. The
Boss decided we should then go on til 1600 and make camp...
Part Two.....coming