Sappers complete works in Lae

Australian and Pacific engineers handed over new and refurbished facilities to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) recently after completing major infrastructure works at Igam Barracks in Lae during Exercise Puk Puk.

CAPTION: Australian Army soldiers Corporal Kieren Thompson and Sapper Albert George from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment review equipment instructions in the soldiers’ mess as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Igam Barracks, Lae, Papua New Guinea. Story by Captain Andrew Page. Photo by Corporal Caitlyn Davill.

The works included a forward operating base training facility, improvements to about 1km of perimeter road, refurbished accommodation for up to 50 PNGDF personnel and upgrades to the Igam Barracks soldiers’ mess.

Led by Townsville-based 3CER, the 125-person contingent comprised engineers from Australia, PNG, Fiji and New Zealand.

Speaking in Lae, Australian contingent commander Major Ian Thomson said the works would provide practical benefits for PNGDF personnel.

“Exercise Puk Puk has allowed us to work alongside the PNGDF to deliver facilities that will directly improve how soldiers train, live and operate at Igam Barracks,” Major Thomson said.

“Every project was built shoulder to shoulder with our PNGDF, New Zealand and Fijian counterparts.

“That teamwork gave our people the opportunity to learn from each other while delivering meaningful improvements to the barracks.”

PNGDF Captain Nathan Muli, 2IC of the contingent, said the exercise was important for developing engineering capability across the participating forces.

“Exercise Puk Puk is very important from a PNGDF engineering perspective because it builds our capacity and gives our sappers, apprentices and tradespeople an opportunity to develop their skills alongside engineers from the other defence forces,” Captain Muli said.

“In the engineering space, working alongside Australia, New Zealand and Fiji gives us the opportunity to share different practices, specifications and ways of doing things.

“We can learn from each other, exchange knowledge and take those experiences back into our own organisations.”

For younger sappers and apprentices, the exercise also provided an opportunity to put their trade skills into practice on real projects while learning from experienced engineers from across the four nations.

In the upgrade to the soldiers’ mess kitchen, worn and unserviceable equipment was removed and replaced with modern cooking equipment.

New fans were installed, the ceiling was repainted, storage facilities and bathrooms refurbished and the kitchen floor was repaired and epoxy-coated.

“The upgraded kitchen will be able to support meal preparation for up to 500 soldiers,” Major Thomson said.

Captain Muli said he and some of his fellow soldiers trained with 3CER earlier this year.

“It was good to work alongside some of those same sappers again on Exercise Puk Puk,” he said.

“For our soldiers, there is a real sense of pride in being able to look at these completed facilities and know they helped build them.”

First conducted in 2002, Exercise Puk Puk is part of Australia’s longstanding Defence Cooperation Program with PNG.

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