1st Aviation Regiment begin relocation to Townsville

Two army sergeants, and their families, are among the first contingent from the 1st Aviation Regiment to relocate to Townsville from Darwin. MEET THEM HERE.

Sergeant Leigh Sparks, with his wife Laura and two daughters at the Rock Pool (no name for children given) from 1st Aviation Regiment, is one of the first soldiers from his unit to relocate from Darwin to Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

Two army sergeants, and their families, are among the first contingent from the 1st Aviation Regiment to relocate to Townsville from Darwin.

The regiment, who operate the Army’s fleet of ARH Tiger helicopters, are relocating to North Queensland to work alonveside the 5th Aviation Regiment, which operates a fleet of 14 CH-47F Chinook helicopters at the RAAF base.

Soldiers from the 1st Aviation Regiment will slowly transition to Townsville while it still operates the ARH Tiger from Darwin until the helicopter is withdrawn from service in 2028.

Two ARH Tiger helicopters part of a fly-past of Toowoomba's Anzac Day midmorning service at the Mothers' Memorial, Thursday, April 25, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The relocation of the aviation regiment to RAAF Base Townsville was earmarked in 2023 in the Defence Strategic Review to coincide with the introduction of the new fleet of AH-64E Apache helicopters later this year.

The Federal Government is investing $700m at RAAF Base Townsville to support the new fleet of Apaches.

16th Aviation Brigade Commander Brigadier Fern Thompson said more than 50 soldiers and officers from 1st Aviation Regiment now call Townsville home.

“Relocation and consolidation of Army aviation in Townsville will ensure the Apache helicopter has a robust and resilient industry hub to support the capability,” the Brigadier said.

“The Apache residing alongside the Chinook in Townsville will represent Australia’s largest Defence helicopter industry hub,” she said.

Sergeant Aaron Robertson from 1st Aviation Regiment, is one of the first soldiers from his unit to relocate from Darwin to Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

One of the first 1st Aviation Regiment soldiers to move to Townsville from Darwin is Sergeant Aaron Robertson.

“It was just a matter of deciding when you wanted to come, due to my own circumstances, it made sense to try to get onto the new platform (Apache) sooner rather than later,” the sergeant said.

Originally from Ballarat, he joined the army 16 years ago and, with an interest in electronics, was guided towards army aviation.

“When I went to Defence Force Recruiting, I stated what I was into and I had an idea of what I wanted. It was mentioned that an avionics technician is basically working on electronic systems on aircraft, and that’s what attracted me,” Sergeant Robertson said.

He rrived in the city with his wife and two children just as the heavy rain started in late January.

“We didn’t quite expect that. Overall, we’re working through it. It’s a big change,” Sergeant Robertson said.

“The challenge for myself and my wife moving the new city is we were very well established in Darwin.”

An Army CH-47 Chinook with an underslung M777 Howitzer from 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland.

He said so far, he and his family were enjoying the challenge of setting up their life in Townsville.

“I quite like Townsville. There’s a lot of positives. There’s a lot of things that we liked about Darwin. There’s a lot of things that we’re liking about Townsville. It is just going to be a matter of how we continue our settling in,” he said.

The soldier said he and his wife love sport and he played rugby union in Darwin.

“I’m very big on rugby union. I’ve moved to a place that is very rugby league. I would like to continue playing in some respect, whether it’s through work or whether it’s through a club,” Sergeant Robertson said.

“My wife is looking to get back into a sport and now it’s just kind of engaging with the local clubs to see about my kids getting into school.

“So we’re pretty much trying everything to see what they enjoy and what is what both our kind of schedules allow for.”

Sergeant Robertson said he was also looking forward to the challenges of working with the new Apache helicopter platform.

“The challenges with the new platform, for me, is going to be different to what I probably experienced back when I was quite junior, or the tradesman,” he said.

“It’ll be a challenge, certainly for myself, adjusting to the different nuances of the Apache compared to a RH Tiger.

“I do know my tradesmen will probably see the biggest differences, because they’re the ones on the ground that are actually doing the work daily,” Sergeant Robertson said.

Sergeant Leigh Sparks, with his wife Laura and two daughters at the Rock Pool (no name for children given) from 1st Aviation Regiment, is one of the first soldiers from his unit to relocate from Darwin to Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

Sergeant Leigh Sparks was also one of the first soldiers from 1st Aviation to arrive in the city with his family.

Originally from Melbourne, he has been in the army for 14 years and chose a similar career path to Sergeant Robertson. He was also looking forward to working on the Apaches.

“I’m an aircraft technician specialist – basically just swinging spanners on the aircraft,” Sergeant Sparks said.

“It’s (the Apaches) something new and something fresh.”

Coming to a mad rugby league town he confesses to be an AFL fan, but added that both he and his wife also played basketball.

“But I believe I now need to start hating anything the colour blue (State of Origin) except the Cowboys, of course,” he said.

Sergeant Sparks said his family would start following the Townsville Fire in the WNBL competition.

“We used to play basketball when we were younger, and you no longer have the Townsville Crocs anymore,” he said.

Sergeant Sparks added that he and his family were still finding their feet in a new city.

“My wife’s opinion is there’s a lot more shops to choose from, which is great,” he said.

“We haven’t really had a chance to get out and do a lot of things just yet. Obviously, we all had to stop doing what we’re doing with the floods and whatnot. So it’s just about finding our place at the moment.”

Originally published as 1st Aviation Regiment begin relocation to Townsville