113 south Queensland, one such community they assisted was Blakebrook in their efforts to restore the public school which was badly damaged in the flooding. “It’s been confronting seeing the impact the floods have had on the community and the school.” Lieutenant Nick Jenkins said. “For my team to come in and assist, its been a privilege to help and to see the resilience of the community.” The locals were in need of help and were grateful to receive it. Members also remarked that during the clean-up efforts in Casino and Lismore they’d been exposed to all kinds of confronting sights including deceased animals, maggot infested whitegoods and more black mould. The ADF had committed thousands of people to the effort and unfortunately with the election looming they were under the watchful eye of the ever sceptical public. Videos surface online that took scenes out of context, such as soldiers taking mandatory short halts on RSD’s, caused comments sections to run wild. The battery was fortunate to avoid any scandal and was well received by the community as they went about their tasks. It was not glamorous work, but the Battery didn’t do it for the praise, nor for the glory. They worked for their community. In a politically tumultuous environment filled with highlydistressed members of the community, the battery did an excellent job in maintaining grace under pressure and acting with professionalism, setting the standard for all to see. Following the deployment on Operation Flood Assist, the Battery had some reprieve as they observed the 150th Anniversary of the RAA on the 4th April and Anzac Day commemorations. Sporting events resumed for some time and 8/12’s Commanding Officer LT COL Trevor Watson introduced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for combative training. He’d placed a work order the previous year to convert one of the hangars into a BJJ gym in order to facilitate this and had set
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