Exercise Puk Puk delivers critical projects for PNGDF barracks, community

Each year Exercise Puk Puk brings together 3rd Brigade and the Papua New Guinea Defence force to deliver critical infrastructure, upgrade and repair projects in the pacific island nation.

Australian Army soldiers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment refurbish facilities as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

Exercise Puk Puk is held annually in different locations around Papua New Guinea with the main goal of improving infrastructure for PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers and the wider community.

Repairs, renovations and builds are undertaken by Townsville’s 3rd Combat Engineers regiment (3CER) over a period of two to three months.

While the focus is typically on upgrading facilities, what is hard to ignore is the positive impact that these projects have on the wider community, whether that be easier access to grocery stores, a bus shelter for young students that improves safety or book donations for schools, which has all been achieved through this years iteration of Exercise Puk Puk.

3CER Lance Corporal Bailey Glover experienced his first exercise Puk Puk last year on Manus Island where he helped refurbish classrooms for the local school.

“It was very pleasing to see how the school received those classrooms. I’ll still to this day get messages from the school principal saying how the classrooms are holding up and it’s very rewarding,” he said.

Lance Corporal Bailey Glover an Australian Army soldier from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment helping to refurbish facilities as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

This year’s exercise was based at Moem Barracks in Wewak, where soldiers from the Australian Defence Force (ADF), PNGDF, British Armed Forces, and the New Zealand Defence Force shared their knowledge and collaborated on projects.

The five main works for this year’s exercise include installing a new bridge, upgrading the guard house, upgrading the shooting range, upgrading the electrical work in the chapel and medical facility, and creating a new obstacle course.

Australian Army soldiers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment refurbish facilities, such as the guard house, as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

The Guard House

In 2018, Exercise Puk Puk conducted a small refurbishment of the guard house at the front of Moem barracks but it had since gone into more disrepair, Lance Corporal Glover said.

“When we rocked up, it was below standards. There were cracked windows, there were no lights working in it, there were no ceiling fans that actually had blades, all the blades were bent so there was no airflow there, it was smelly, and all the paint was peeling off,” he said.

Australian Army soldiers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment refurbish facilities, such as the guard house as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

The 27-year-old said that his team fitted the building out with new floors, lights, roof sheets, guttering and a fresh coat of paint.

“As an Australian unit, we have a duty. If you feel like your duty place, the building itself is well looked after, you have a sense of pride, and then you look after it, and then you do your duty correctly,” Lance Corporal Glover said.

The Medical Centre

Prior to the exercise, the Moem Barracks medical facility was connected to the wider PNG electricity grid, which can be unreliable and leave patients without access to vital health services

“They relied on PNG power to power their facilities, but during their blackouts, they don’t have power, so it’s pretty much pointless having them open,” Lance Corporal Glover.

“We had the Red Earth copperhead system that was broken at the time, so we got that working again via solar power, and now that’s going to be powering the soldiers and family (medical centre), so even when there’s a blackout, they can be open 24/7.”

Australian Army soldiers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment refurbish facilities as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

The Jungle Obstacle Course

Through the thick jungle behind the guard house was once an obstacle course, but it had since become overgrown and lost under the dense vegetation.

“The boys have come in, and they’ve cleared it, and they’ve even redesigned a couple of paths, new logos for the sign names, and now it’s a fully functional obstacle course,” Lance Corporal Glover said.

Australian Army soldiers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment refurbish facilities as part of Exercise Puk Puk at Moem Barracks, Papua New Guinea. PHOTO: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett

The most popular part of the course would have to be the final obstacle, a jump point into the turquoise ocean, which has quickly become a popular spot for children in the community.

“It’s really good seeing the kids enjoying it,” Lance Corporal Glover said.

“We’ve been down there multiple times just after work, and there’s a lot of kids down there jumping in and loving it … just doing backflips and stuff off it.”

Lance Corporal Glover said that all of the projects were on track to finish before the closing ceremony which is set to be held next week.

Originally published as Exercise Puk Puk delivers critical projects for PNGDF barracks, community