The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The Army's 161 Reconnaisance Flight, based at Oakey in Queensland has been assisting the NSW Pastoral Protection Board for the past two weeks with air surveys to locate locusts which have infested two-thirds of New South Wales. All told the Aviation flight will be assisting for six to eight weeks with two Cessna fixed wing aircraft and 2 helicopters. The area of operations is divided into three sectors centred on the Broken Hill Narromine and Hay districts of central NSW. For the past two weeks the Army has been using the Sioux light helicopters in Narromine-Tottenham area. The helicopters have proved to be the ideal method of searching likely locust breeding areas. The search is conducted in a grid pattern and a member of Pastoral Protection Board accompanys the pilot on these sorties. They fly between 50-100 feet above the ground and when a locust band is spotted, the helicopter hovers 3 feet above the swarm to allow the ranger to observe the locusts closely. The locusts are at present in the "hopper" stage in an advance state of development. As yet they are not airborne so this allows the rangers to plot the areas of infestation on a master map and proceed with spraying the locusts before they start to fly. Mr Don Kennedy the Sydney representative of the Pastoral Protection Board is the overall supervisor and the locust survey is controlled by radio links to the field officers from Narromine Airstrip. The plague is the worst since 1969 and if not controlled could reach the distasterous proportions of the 1930 plague. Mr Ron Hosie the Pastoral Protection Board's Dubbo representative said "so far the operation is proceeding better than expected with the aid of the Army's helicopters. Spraying should commence as soon as the survey is completed in the area." The New South Wales government approached the Federal Government for assistance in combating the plague earlier this month in an attempt to protect agricultural production worth about $500 million in the infested areas as well as those areas which are threatened. Four Army aircraft 18 soldiers and several vehicles for ground to air radio communications were supplied by the Minister for Defence Mr Barnard. This assistance has been timed to take effect immediately which is the crucial period in combating the locusts.
Part 1 of Army assistance with NSW locust plague DPR/TV/1578 DPR/S/159
Part 2 of Army assistance with NSW locust plague DPR/TV/1578 DPR/S/159
The Army's 161 Reconnaissance Flight, based at Oakey in Queensland, has been assisting the NSW Pastoral Protection Board for the past two weeks with air surveys to locate locusts which have infested t
The Army was quick off the mark when the call came two weeks ago for assistance in helping fight swarms of locusts which are damaging crops in Central Queensland. The locusts are swarming in billions
Troops of the Pacific Islands Regiment have no need for artificial hazards to be written into their training programme. The natural jungle of Papua/ New Guinea and the fast-flowing, crocodile infested
A week after the start of the fires in Tasmania, isolated pockets of flame continue the pattern of destruction in the Hobart area. But with the fire fighters now moulded into experienced teams and in
In the clammy heat of the Borneo jungle, Australian infantrymen are settling down to routine border patrolling. They are troops of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, which moved into bo
After his five-day Vietnam tour, during which he spent Easter with Australian troops, Army Minister, Mr Phillip Lynch, paid a six-day visit to Singapore and Malaysia. In Singapore, he toured the Nee S
