Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius

cadets
A Bridge to Nowhere...
As I’m always looking for something new to keep
cadets occupied at camp, when Mr Turner suggested
they build a bridge, I thought... Why not!
Planning started in Mr Turner’s usual format, a hasty
sketch on the back of an envelope, accompanied by his
technical mantra, “you don’t need to write the measurements
down son, we’ll fix it as we go”.
Michael Curtin (Year 10), Sam Levy (Year 12), Andrew Pendlebury
(Year 12), Michael Bryant (Year 12), Richard Alessi (Year 11),
Stephen Stanton (Year 11), Mr Simon Turner, Christian McMahon
(Year 12) and David Michel (Year 11)
Being a feat of engineering, sort of, the Pioneer Platoon
was tasked with the assembly and construction of the
bridge. Timber, paint and rope were ordered and at some
stage during the planning stage, the bridge was changed
from a single span to a suspension model. Friday parade
afternoons for the Pioneers were spend drilling deck plates,
dipping suspension ropes and pre-packing all the parts for
assembly in the field.
We needed a site on Singleton Range that offered a
reasonably challenging crossing yet allowed construction
to proceed with a modicum of safety. That accomplished
after an extensive search, the Pioneers set to work. They
were given two days to complete the build before Charlie
Company was to turn up for a crossing. The team, led by
Staff Sergeant Michael Bryant and assisted by WO2 Adam
Pendlebury were slow to start and their motto of “work
hard, rest harder“ did little to instil a sense of confidence,
however, by the end of Day 1, at least the shape of the
bridge to come was visible.
Like construction sites anywhere, tidiness was not
a driving force with the Pioneers. Because of the tight
deadlines they were allowed to camp beside their project
and the construction site soon resembled their bedrooms at
home. They left equipment and personal gear everywhere
and regular inspections were required to achieve even a
hint of any military discipline.
Their claim that they started work at 6.00am each
Adam Pendlebury (Year 12), Richard Alessi (Year 12), Sam Levy
(Year 12), Michael Bryant (Year 12), Michael Curtin (Year 10),
Stephen Stanton (Year 11), Christian McMahon (Year 12) and
David Michel (Year 11)
morning, met with some scorn by the other cadets, may
have been accurate. Despite our misgivings construction
proceeded apace and by the end of Day 2 they had
decking laid and all that remained was to adjust the
risers so that the deck was something close to horizontal,
horizontal being a descriptive term for Pioneers meaning
anything from five to twenty degrees above or below what
the rest of us class as horizontal.
Load bearing tests were conducted, Doctor Forrest
kindly volunteering his load for the test, and then side
swivel tests with the building team lending their weight to
the exercise. By daybreak on Day 3 the bridge was open
for business and Charlie Company successfully negotiated
the route without mishap.
It was quite an experience, both for the builders and the
passengers who crossed. The entire Pioneer platoon should
be congratulated on their efforts. SSGT Michael Bryant,
SGT Andrew Pendlebury, SGT Andrew Fitzpatrick, SGT
Richard Alessi, SGT David Michel, SGT Sam Levy, LCPL
Michael Curtin and WO2 Adam Pendlebury.
Major David Clancy
Commanding Officer
Doctor Allan Forrest (Current Parent) tests the bridge
St Aloysius’ College
A Jesuit School for Boys _ Founded 1879 a l o y s i a d / p a g e 3 1