17th Construction Squadron ( Australia ) The 17th Construction Squadron is an Australian Army unit consisting of personnel drawn mainly from the Royal Australian Engineers . Originally formed in 1949 , the squadron is currently part of the 6th Engineer Support Regiment and is based at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney , New South Wales . Personnel from the squadron have deployed on operations during the Vietnam War and the ongoing War in Afghanistan ; they have also participated in peacekeeping operations in Namibia and East Timor . The squadron is regularly involved in the Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program and has also been called upon to provide assistance to the wider Australian community following natural disasters , including most recently in the wake of the 2010 – 2011 Queensland floods . History . Squadron origins ( 1949 – 1965 ) . 17th Construction Squadron was raised out of the Eastern Command Maintenance Squadron on 20 September 1949 as a Regular unit , under the command of Captain E . Phillips . Upon formation it consisted of three troop s : 8 , 9 and 10 . Squadron headquarters was located at Kingsford , New South Wales , along with the 9 and 10 Troops , while 8 Troop was located in the Moore Park area . The year later , Plant Troop was raised and moved to Woomera , South Australia . It had initially been planned that the squadron would form part of a regimental formation known as the 4th Construction Regiment , but the regiment was never raised and the squadron was formed as an independent unit . During the period between 1950 and 1965 the squadron carried out considerable construction and relief tasks both within Australia and overseas . It was involved in the construction of the Woomera Rocket Range from 1950 to 1954 . In 1953 it was also involved in the site construction for project " Two Zero Zero " , an atomic weapons test site . Between January and October 1953 , the squadron worked to prepare the site ahead of the detonation of the first atomic weapon exploded on the Australian mainland , which took place in October 1953 under the guise of Operation Totem . In 1956 , work was undertaken at Moorebank where the squadron constructed a pontoon harbour and also at Randwick where work on new soldiers ' accommodation was completed . In 1960 , an element from 8 Troop was deployed to New Hebrides to help restore Port Vila after it was struck by a cyclone . The following year , 10 Troop was detached to the command of the 24th Construction Squadron and deployed to Vanimo and Passam , Papua New Guinea , where they completed road building tasks and constructed a 300 - ton wharf . In June 1963 , the main body of the squadron deployed to Wewak , taking over from the 21st Construction Squadron , before returning to Australia in June 1964 , having been replaced by the 22nd Construction Squadron . South Vietnam ( 1966 – 1971 ) . The most significant part of squadron history was its involvement in the Vietnam War . The squadron was in South Vietnam from 1966 to 1971 and was involved in a wide variety of engineering tasks . The first to deploy was 8 Troop , which was initially based around Vung Tau , although they were later deployed to the 1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat in August 1966 . At Nui Dat , elements of the squadron took part in the defence of the base during an attack the day before the Battle of Long Tan ; amidst heavy indirect fire , three members of the squadron were wounded . 10 Troop relieved 8 Troop at Nui Dat in October , and in February 1967 the squadron ' s third troop , 9 Troop , was deployed to Vietnam . Early tasks undertaken by the squadron included clearing operations in support of the 5th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment during Operation Leeton , and sustainment operations . The construction of helipad s and land marking operations were common tasks carried out by Plant Troop . In 1967 the squadron completed a 300 , 000 gallon dam . This provided the Australian contingent with an alternate water supply . At Nui Dat the squadron set up a large quarrying operation in early 1968 . The squadron was also involved in the construction of the 1st Australian Logistics Support Group ( 1 ALSG ) base amid the sand dunes at Vung Tau following its occupation in May 1966 . Although a detachment of engineers from 1 RAR Group had commenced basic works to prepare the area prior to the lodgement , including a basic water supply and road construction , much work remained . Lacking basic facilities for logistic operations including unloading facilities , roads and hardstanding , 1 ALSG struggled to become operational and commence logistic support to 1 ATF forward at Nui Dat . Meanwhile , basic hygiene and stifling heat were also a significant problem . Urgent work was required and the development plan included cutting and spreading the sand dunes , reclaiming large areas of swamp land , road construction , establishing accommodation , hardstanding , storage areas , workshops and vehicles parks , as well as extensive drainage works . Other tasks included winning construction resources , water purification and supply , electricity generation , survey , bridging and rafting , and civil aid . Helipads were also constructed to enable 1 ALSG to be resupplied by helicopter and for 2 Field Ambulance to receive casualties . Later , in April 1968 a quarry was also constructed at Vung Tau to supply crushed rock , gravel and fine sand for the pavement of roads , airfields , helipads and development of hardstanding . Land clearing operations had been undertaken by 1st Field Squadron since the occupation of Nui Dat to improve base defences and observation . Later they were extended for tactical purposes to open up key routes within Phuoc Tuy by removing vegetation to deny cover and concealment to the Viet Cong , and also provided arable land for villagers as part of the Pacification program . In March 1968 , a dedicated Land Clearing Team was formed by 17th Construction Squadron elements at Nui Dat to supplement existing arrangements . One particular operation , codenamed " Cooktown Orchid " conducted in April 1968 , saw a large element of Plant Troop deploy under infantry and armoured protection to clear undergrowth and trees in the foothills of the Long Hai mountains . Land clearance operations proved quite dangerous for the plant operators who were exposed to land mines and booby traps , as well as to attack by small arms and other direct fire weapons . During this operation one D8 bulldozer was destroyed , and a sapper injured when an RPG round hit the dozer he was operating . In 1969 the squadron continued with land clearing tasks within the 1 ATF area of operations . During the operation , numerous bunker systems were uncovered and the D8 dozers detonated many mines . In August 1969 , 9 Troop assisted in replacing a sabotaged bridge with a floating pontoon bridge . The enemy had blown the bridge on National Route 51 , south - east of Saigon . The troop , working with the US Engineers , took only 13 hours to re - open the road . 1970 saw the squadron heavily committed to Project 393 , the civil aid program involving the construction of housing for Regional Force soldiers and their families throughout Phuoc Tuy province . The squadron built a total of 410 houses at sites such as Baria , An Nhuit , Dat Do , Ong Trinh and Duc Thanh . On 20 September the unit celebrated its 21st birthday . Later that year , John Sanderson was appointed Officer Commanding . It was at about this time that the unit adopted the " Little Bear " symbol and the motto , " A Little Bear will Fix It " , which is well known on Norton ' s Bear Brand Tape . The little bear was created in the mid - 1950s by Sydney cartoonist Syd Miller and has been in extensively since that time . Quarrying operations during 1970 , with the squadron operating Hadfield and Aveling - Barford crushers at three sites . Throughout 1971 a number of major road projects were completed , as was a long bridge over the Song Rai River . The squadron subsequently returned to Australia , where it moved to Enoggera , Queensland . At the height of its involvement in Vietnam , the squadron consisted of 12 officers and 334 other ranks . Enoggera and disbandment ( 1972 – 1973 ) . The decade of the 1970s saw the demise of the squadron as the RAE was reorganised around a regimental structure . In February 1972 , it was renamed the 17th Field Squadron , as part of 2nd Field Engineer Regiment , based at Enoggera . While part of the regiment , the squadron completed construction works in Tully as part of the regiment ' s involvement supporting the Medium Tank Trials Unit . Public relations projects were also undertaken including work on Tully hospital , schools , golf and bowling clubs . In mid - 1973 , 17th Field Squadron merged with 7th Field Squadron , and the unit ' s designation fell off the Royal Australian Engineers Order of Battle . The unit remained disbanded until 1977 . Re - raised in Sydney ( 1977 – 1989 ) . In August 1977 , the 17th Construction Squadron was re - raised at Gallipoli Lines , Holsworthy Barracks , as part of the 1st Construction Regiment . Upon establishment , the unit was placed under the command of Major John Koek . The squadron ' s first task saw it sent to Nowra , where it was tasked with constructing fuel storage tanks for the Royal Australian Navy . In addition to this , the squadron worked to restore the accommodation buildings that it had been assigned . Having established itself , during the first six months of 1978 the squadron completed a number of small construction tasks for surrounding units in the Holsworthy area , including new facilities for the 1st Field Engineer Regiment . An annual camp was also held at Gosper , New South Wales . In 1979 , the 17th Construction Squadron was placed on stand - by for service in Namibia . During the early 1980s operational readiness planning took up a large slice of the squadron ' s effort . During this decade a large number of construction tasks were still completed , including the construction of the Holsworthy Range Road , the School of Military Engineering Museum upgrade and numerous Lysaght buildings . A detachment also supported 22nd Construction Squadron with the construction of facilities for the Special Air Service Regiment . In 1982 8 Troop performed a small controlled demolition of the Woronora Weir at Engadine . When Severe Tropical Cyclone Isaac hit Tonga on 3 March 1982 , killing 6 people and making 45 , 000 homeless , the entire squadron was deployed to Tonga for a two - week period to assist with urgent shelter and recovery efforts . In 1985 the Squadron rebuilt the airfield at the army ' s Shoalwater Bay Training Area . In 1987 – 88 over a six - month period the Plant Troop constructed a large earth filled dam on the upper Nepean River at the Bents Basin State Recreation Area . The squadron participated in a major exercise with the 1st Construction Regiment at Singleton , New South Wales in 1988 . This was the first occasion that the Transfield heavy girder bridge had been constructed on exercise . Also in 1988 9 Troop constructed the Holsworthy Range Control facility and facilities at Penrith . Other works were undertaken overseas by detachments as part of the Defence Co - operation Program . Established in the early 1960s to engage with Southeast Asian nations , in the early 1980s the program was refocused upon the nations in the Southwest Pacific , where a number of construction projects were implemented . During this time , projects were completed in several countries including : In early 1988 , the squadron deployed an officer to Wilkes Station , Antarctica in order to develop an environmental clean - up plan to remove , make safe or dispose of a large accumulation of rubbish , fuel in drums , explosives , chemicals and gas cylinders deposited since the late 1950s . The plan was subsequently carried out over a period of years for the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions by a series of detachments from the squadron . Just prior to deployment to Namibia in January 1989 , 9 Troop was deployed at short notice to construct a Light Assault Floating Bridge ( Pontoon bridge ) across the Macquarie River on the Mitchell Highway in Wellington , New South Wales which had been destroyed by a truck carrying an excavator . Namibia ( 1989 – 1990 ) . Having been on stand - by since 1979 , the squadron finally deployed to Namibia in April 1989 as part of the Military Component of the United Nations Transition Assistance Group UNTAG . An augmented squadron of 275 personnel was deployed which included a Field Engineer troop from 7th Field Squadron . There were two rotations during the deployment , each of six months duration . The second rotation included a troop from the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers . During the first rotation , the squadron was involved in a wide variety of tasks . The first task was to lead " Operation Safe Passage " . This required the squadron members ( supported by British signallers ) to work as infantry and man border and internal assembly points . At the time these were the only military units that could be re - deployed quickly to northern Namibia . The aim of the operation was to facilitate the withdrawal of the South - West Africa People ' s Organisation ' s ( SWAPO ) military wing , the People ' s Liberation Army of Namibia ( PLAN ) combatants . A total of nine assembly points were established with 10 soldiers and five military observers at each . Agreement was subsequently reached in late April that the SADF personnel be restricted to their bases from 26 April ; and in effect from this date hostilities largely ceased . Over this period of about three weeks it has been estimated that 251 PLAN combatants were killed for the loss of 21 members of the SADF and other Security Forces . The fact that the Australian soldiers survived this operation without casualty was said to be a tribute to the ' training standards of the Australian Army and perhaps , a bit of good luck ' . The next major task was to construct and support a number of Returnee Reception centres for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees . The squadron constructed two of the major entry points ( at Ongwediva and Engela in Ovamboland ) , the construction of others was managed by the works office . They were administered under the auspices of the Repatriation , Resettlement and Reconstruction Committee of the Council of Churches in Namibia ( CCN ) . The Squadron was also occupied with route and mine clearance . The SADF laid recognised , marked and fenced , anti - personnel minefields typically as perimeter protection to bases and vital assets . The SADF reported laying 45 , 000 mines during the conflict of which 3 , 000 were unaccounted for when UNTAG arrived . SWAPO employed mines as a means of ambushing or intimidation . Much of the work of the 75 Field Engineers deployed with each contingent was area search , clearance of exposed mines , marking minefields and route clearance . Colonel John Crocker , the Commander of the 2nd Contingent wrote that " For the first time since the Vietnam War , Australian Sappers hand cleared their way into live minefields on seven separate occasions to destroy exposed mines . Similar mines killed several civilians and many animals during the mission . Field engineers of the contingent destroyed over 5 , 000 items of unexploded ordnance ( UXO ) ranging from artillery shells , through RPG rockets to grenades . UXO , a legacy of the 20 - year Bush War , posed a major hazard to local inhabitants in the northern provinces and to UNTAG personnel in that area " . The second rotation provided considerable support to the elections that were conducted in November 1989 and which was the primary task for the remainder of the deployment . Activities commenced with 1 ASC from May 1989 onward , but became the primary task for 2 ASC . Major tasks included : The squadron also conducted other works tasks which included an upgrade of the Rundu air base ( construction of a movement facility and helipads ) , construction of a school building for one of the local schools , and the upgrade and maintenance of roads and hard - stands in the area . The second rotation returned to Australia in February 1990 . The squadron for their efforts in Namibia received many letters of commendation and appreciation including in 2012 the award of the first Honour Distinction . This is a new ( 2012 ) award that provides recognition for outstanding service in operations in other than declared theatres of war . RAAF Scherger ( 1990 – 1996 ) . During the 1990s , the squadron was moved outside of the regimental structure , becoming independent once again . In March 1993 , it became involved in the construction of RAAF Base Scherger , near Weipa in Far North Queensland . The biggest project undertaken by the Royal Australian Engineers at the time , the task drew very heavily on the squadron ' s personnel and resources , with three rotations each year . The squadron ' s involvement with the project was complete by the end of 1996 , although ongoing refurbishment continued throughout 1997 . The base was officially opened on 5 August 1998 by the Prime Minister , John Howard . Recent operations and projects . AACAP ( 1997 – present ) . In 1996 , Prime Minister John Howard committed Australian Army resources to improve health related infrastructure in remote Aboriginal communities . Assisting units provide logistic , transport , communication and health support to the soldiers . The Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program ( AACAP ) was initiated in 1997 by the 17th Construction Squadron in the Bulla community , in the vicinity of Timber Creek in the Northern Territory . The squadron has been responsible for AACAPs at a number of locations . INTERFET ( 1999 – 2000 ) . At the completion of AACAP Jumbun in 1999 the squadron was deployed at short notice to participate in Operation Warden as part of the International Force for East Timor ( INTEFET ) . Some of the key Squadron activities in East Timor included the construction of the Dili sewage ponds , the extension and resurfacing of the Suai airstrip , drainage works in Dili , the Dili heliport , force water points and support to other units . The squadron was on operations for approximately five months . 6th Engineer Support Regiment ( 2003 – present ) . In 2003 , the 17th Construction Squadron became a part of the 6th Engineer Support Regiment . As a part of this formation , the squadron has remained at Holsworthy , even though the rest of the regiment is split between at Gallipoli Barracks , Enoggera , and Zabul Lines , RAAF Base Amberley . In 2011 , the squadron deployed personnel as part of Exercise Pacific Partnership , which saw personnel deployed on board the USS " Cleveland " from where they were dispatched to Vanuatu , Tonga , Papua New Guinea , East Timor and Micronesia to complete various construction works . The unit was also heavily involved in supporting the Australian Army ' s commitment to Operation Queensland Flood Assist . It has also contributed personnel to ongoing operations in Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper , and to Timor Leste as part of Operation Astute . As of 2012 , there were plans to relocate the squadron to Amberley in 2014 . Awards and Commendations . The Squadron was awarded a Chief of the General Staff Commendation from Lieutenant General L . G . O ' Donnell , the Chief of the General Staff in March 1990 for the deployment to Namibia . In April 2012 The Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison , AO approved a recommendation for the award of the first Honour Distinction to 17th Construction Squadron . This is a new ( 2012 ) award that provides recognition for outstanding service in operations in other than declared theatres of war . The Citation for the award reads : The award will be presented to the unit in 2013 . Commanders . The following officers have served as the squadron ' s Officer Commanding ( OC ) :