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The RAE Association has always enjoyed a close working relationship with the 22nd Engineer Regiment. The CO (LTCOL Scott D’Rozario) and the RSM (WO1 Tom Jesser) arranged for the Commander 4th Brigade (BRIG Michelle Campbell) and the RSM 4th Brigade (WO1 Tony Lynch) to visit the Ringwood East depot and spend time with Don Hughes,Continue reading “VISIT BY COMMANDER 4th BRIGADE.”

The annual visit to attend the Kapooka Tragedy Memorial service is a feature of the Association’s calendar and one I would urge everyone to consider attending at some time. The journey to Kapooka is certainly a very long one but it is so worthwhile. Making the trip this year among others were Jim Davis andContinue reading “Kapooka Tragedy Memorial Excursion – 21st May 2023”

(Part of the RAEAV collection BP 118) About this Document; The Author (Sir Clive Selwyn Steele KBE, DSO, MC mid(2)) Major General Sir Clive Steele (1892-1955) graduated in civil engineering from University of Melbourne and during his working life became a distinguished structural engineer. He was commissioned into the Militia and allotted to the AustralianContinue reading “ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS – Some Lessons From The War 1939-1945”

Maintaining the diversity of engineering skills necessary in wartime had always been a severe challenge to the Army. The peacetime the RAE was never very large. Moreover, only in the first weeks of mobilisation did many qualified men volunteer who could move rapidly into technical postings. Therefore the Australian wartime engineer units had to trainContinue reading “22 Construction Regiment – First camp and Bailey Bridge, Puckapunyal 1950.”

The Regiment normally conducts a Dawn Service but due to Brigade obligations or COVID restrictions has not been able to have an after-Dawn Service for several years. This year started at Ringwood East depot with a “gun fire breakfast” followed by the Dawn Service and then a great breakfast in the recently refurbished Junior RanksContinue reading “ANZAC Day 2023 – Dawn Service at Ringwood East Depot”

A very successful and enjoyable excursion to the city was conducted on Sunday 02nd April 2023 where we visited the above 2 sites and ended the day with lunch. Firstly, we could not have asked for a better day weather-wise with lovely clear skies and a temperature around 19.0C however the city was very busyContinue reading “RAE Association Fire Services Museum and Old Treasury Excursion – 2 April 2023”

On 30th March 2023 the RAE Association conducted its Annual General Meeting which was held at the Ringwood RSL – a number of those attending the AGM arrived early and started the evening with a meal – in fact there were 15 people on the table and a couple of others in the bar areaContinue reading “RAE Association (Vic) Inc. – Annual General Meeting (AGM)”

At the 22 ER Family day on 6 February 2022, Jim Davis was presented with the Brigadier General C.H. Foott CB, CMG award for outstanding and significant support or service to the Corps of Royal Australian Engineers by LTCOL Scott D’Rozario It was a low key event as we were just coming out of CovidContinue reading “The RAE Excellence in Military Engineering Awards for 2021”

The J 550 Steam train was one of sixty 2-8-0 locomotives built for the Victorian Railways by Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire. The first 30 locomotives (J 501 – J 529) were built as coal burners, and the second 30 (J 530-J 559) as oil burners with a distinctive circular oil tank mounted in theContinue reading “38 Field Squadron RAE and 2 Recovery Company RAEME help in relocating a steam train at Mirboo North, 1985”

On the weekend of 03rd March – 05th March 2023 22 ER commenced their training year with a deployment to HMAS CERBERUS where the annual mandatory training was undertaken. In addition to the serious side of the training and preparing for the year the CO (LTCOL Scott D’Rozario) took the opportunity of having a BBQContinue reading “22nd Engineer Regiment (22 ER) commences 2023.”

In 1974, 7 Field Engineer Regiment camped at Tidal River on Wilsons Promontory during which projects including a bridge at Sealers Cove built by the then LT Colin Bowater and his troop, as well as corduroy tracks and numerous engineer reconnaissances tracks to train senior NCO’s. Source; Swan Street Sappers. Photos donated by Colin BowaterContinue reading “Sealers Cove Wilsons Promontory 1974”

At the RAAF base at Point Cook in 1988, 7 Field Engineer Regiment took on vital asset protection works. At the same time the Sappers were asked to exhume an old Lincoln Bomber engine that had been buried for a long time, for the RAAF museum. All this whilst successfully “fighting off” the 2 CommandoContinue reading “A Sappers job is never dull.”

Maldon with Township was founded in 1853 the discovery of an alluvial goldfield. In its heyday Maldon had a population of 4000 who were largely employed by gold mining companies. By 1880, Maldon was the largest community in Victoria, that was not served by a railway. On the 16th June, 1884, the first train ranContinue reading “91 Forestry Squadron RAE and the Castlemaine to Maldon, Victorian Goldfields Railway”

In the winter of 1982, 22 Construction Regiment comprising of 105 Construction Sqn, 106 Construction Sqn and 107 Plant Sqn moved into Glenmaggie for specialised project works in the East Gippsland area, which was still snow covered and polar like when advance elements of 22 Construction Regiment arrived in early October and the wintry weatherContinue reading “Mt Useful / Licola camp October 1982”

On the 28th of April 1918 a concert was held at the Empire Theatre for the men based at the Australian Engineer Training Depot (AETD) was established in Brightlingsea between 1916 and 1919. Over 5,000 Anzacs were stationed in the town and surrounding areas, leaving behind a significant social and supporting legacy which has notContinue reading “Australian Engineer Concerts in Brightlingsea UK 1916-1919”

91 Forestry Squadron, when it was formed in 1952, was the only Forestry Squadron in the Australian Army. The Forests Commission of Victoria sponsored 91 Forestry Squadron (SR), which was then a supplementary reserve unit of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) in Victoria and was initially established and commanded by Major Ben Benallack a wartimeContinue reading “91 Forestry Squadron “Woodpeckers””