07/05/2023 Australia
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law and/or enforcement agency for assistance”.
There are many career paths in the Australian Defence Force that promise to combine technical aptitude, clear thinking and simultaneous stimulation of the adrenal gland, but few are as personally invested as dealing with unexploded bombs, mines and assorted other fissile munitions. So it requires a rather skilled sell to attract the right kinds of minds to a day job defusing and making safe the malfunctioning weapons of war, especially when small errors can have very big consequences. With bomb disposal a plainly multi-service discipline — the Army, the Navy and the Air Force all have an interest and a need — Defence has opted to play the diversity card when it comes to attracting the next generation of sappers, robot operators and wire cutters to the Defence Explosive Ordnance Training School (DEOTS). Diversity gives training more bang for its buck” Defence’s pitch for new talent cheerily proclaims, referring to its people, rather than the troublesome ordnance, which is also evolving. The Defence Explosive Ordnance Training School (DEOTS) at Defence Establishment Orchard Hills is a true joint workforce, with unit members from all three services, APS and contractors working together,” Defence says. The DEOTS team combines a variety of cultures, knowledge and experiences to deliver first-rate explosive ordnance (EO) education and training.” If that doesn’t whet the appetite to join up, the military’s explosives school does also offer the opportunity to learn how to safely blow a wide variety of things up, ranging from bridges to buildings to ships, and of course bombs that fail to go off the first time. One of the most skilled and feted jobs to come out of DEOTS is that of Navy clearance divers, the people who throw on a wetsuit and hunt for explosives underwater, like charges placed under civilian and military vessels, often in poor visibility, and in the presence of sharks. Defence is keen to point out that a full spectrum of skills development and jobs are possible through the explosives school. For Leading Seaman Luke McWhirter, posting to DEOTS means a return to his birthplace,” Defence said. Born in Penrith, and spending his childhood on the mid-north coast of NSW, Leading Seaman McWhirter decided to join the Navy when no jobs close to home sparked his interest.” For McWhirter, who enlisted in 2009, roles have included being a combat system operator mine warfare, then transferring to clearance diving. Posted to DEOTS in 2021 as an explosive ordnance reconnaissance and demolitions operator instructor — that’s hunting for mines, bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on roads and other operational areas — McWhirter is now working and training to become a conventional munitions disposal instructor, according to Defence. A key point Defence is pushing is that explosives roles can offer a predictable path ahead and room to grow in terms of a day job. Working regular hours allows me the ability to forecast, and permits for personal development, family and training time,” McWhirter said, adding the most fulfilling part of his job is helping students through the learning process.
Photo-Source: hemandarin.com.au
If you find anything that appears to be an explosive device, do not touch it, leave it where it is and call the police. We will contact the appropriate agencies to properly dispose of the item.
Dear editors, Biography of a bomb is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, what drives us is raising awerness about this topic. We make use of your pictures and articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We trust in your understanding. We will (and we always do) cite the source and the author. We thank you for your comprehension.
