Quiet and unnoticed most of the time, an Army Reserve HQ in suburban Gwynneville has offered a rare insight into its operation.
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The Gipps Street site home to Bravo Company, Wollongong’s Army Reserve Unit. On Saturday the site hosted dummy grenade-throwing exercises, virtual reality, flight simulators and a display of military vehicles and weapons, as part of an annual open day.
On show was a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle, built to carry up to 10 infantrymen across all terrain. Weighing 11-tonne and worth $500,000, its v-shaped hull is built to disperse the force of a blast, should it drive over an improvised explosive device.
Captain Andrew Jenkins said the vehicle had attracted a lot of interest at Saturday’s event, which serves as a ADF recruitment exercise for Army, Navy and Air Force.
“We’re engaging with the community … It’s also part of the broader recruiting for defence,” he said.
“There has been a lot of interest. From the reports of last year there were 300 people through. Of those, five to 15 progressed.”
Cameron Broad, of Gwynneville, was among those who took the opportunity to tour the grounds.
“I was intrigued to see what they have on offer and to see what kind of weapons they have,” said Mr Broad, who is considering joining the Army Reserve.