Login
iscover
Royal Australian Navy personnel have been working alongside their Army colleagues in urban and regional Queensland, contributing to border and quarantines measures rolled out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
While the bulk of Navy personnel have been providing quarantine assistance to state authorities at the Brisbane and Cairns airports and various hotels in Cairns, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Other sailors have been supporting the Queensland Police Service (QPS) at control points for border control operations around the state.
Chief Petty Officer Stan McClintock said he was thankful for the opportunity to work with Army in support of the Queensland Police Service, stepping into a leadership role with the Warwick-based TE3, where he has been coordinating personnel and logistics for a number of police check points.
“I’m enjoying working with Army to ensure the smooth running of our area of operations. It’s very cold at the check points, so it’s important for morale to ensure we do what we can to keep the members well fed and warm,” CPO McClintock said.
Defence Force personnel have been on the ground supporting the QPS since early April, and for the past few weeks Navy has been working side by side with Army in various roles.
Petty Officer Combat Systems Supervisor Grant Ireland was deployed to the Goondiwindi Police Check Point and explained how different, yet interesting, this role has been from previous Navy tasks.
“It has been a privilege to be a part of and witness how well Navy personnel are working with Army during this operation,” PO Ireland said.
“It’s so different to be working away from a ship at sea or port.
“I felt appreciated by the locals, Queensland Police Service and Army, and I believe what I have been doing matters. I have great respect for country Queensland.
"I’ve even been talking to my mates about doing a two-week road trip, visiting outback Queensland towns when things ease, maybe around a rugby league match.”
