Lance Corporal Mancell Laidler, of Joint Task Group 629.9, inspects the licence of a motorist at the ACT Federal Highway border-control point during Operation COVID-19 Assist. Photo by Corporal Jarrod McAneney.

ADF winds up ACT COVID control support

13/10/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 1263 Views 0 Comments COVID-19

ADF personnel have spent the past few weeks supporting ACT Policing at vehicle checkpoints on the ACT-NSW border set up to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAPTION: Lance Corporal Mancell Laidler, of Joint Task Group 629.9, inspects the licence of a motorist at the ACT Federal Highway border-control point during Operation COVID-19 Assist. Photo by Corporal Jarrod McAneney.

The support, which ends on October 14, came at the request of the ACT Government.

Joint Task Group 629.9 on September 20 deployed 25 members to the task.

Commander of Joint Task Group 629.9 Operation COVID-19 Assist Colonel John Brennan said the border-control points were successful.

“The ACT Government implemented certain restrictions to protect the local community and the border-control points were an important part of ensuring compliance with these restrictions,” Colonel Brennan said.

“We’ve been working with the ACT authorities since the start of Operation COVID-19 Assist in 2020.

“We’ve worked extremely well and closely with the ACT authorities.”

Sergeant James Duquemin, of RMC Band, was one of the members tasked to assist at the border-control points.

He said the highlight was his interaction with the public; hearing their stories and where they were coming from.

“Generally they [general public] were very nice [and] understanding,” Sergeant Duquemin said.

“My experience working alongside the [ACT] police is that they’ve been really friendly – people like us here to do a job.

“I know they’re very appreciative of us giving assistance, because it [enabled] them to stay on mission a lot longer and increased their resources further.”

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