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The 1996 Australian Army Black Hawk collision was a mid-air collision that occurred during a nighttime counter-terrorism training exercise at the High Range Training Area (now the Townsville Field Training Area), south-west of Townsville in Queensland. The collision resulted in the loss of two Sikosky S-70A Black Hawk aircraft, killed 18 and injured 12 members of the Australian Army. It remains Australia's deadliest peace-time military aviation accident, and the country's worst military training accident since the 1964 Melbourne–Voyager collision.

On the evening of 12 June 1996, the second day of a bi-annual combined arms exercise series, six Black Hawks from the Army's 5th Aviation Regiment were transporting troopers of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) during a live-fire range pratice that involved an airmobile assault on ground positions, simulating a hostage recovery operation. Numerous deficiencies in the planning of the exercise meant the helicopter crews did not have the expected visual references at critical points during their approach to the objective and the formation arrived out of position. Flying with the aid of night vision goggles which limited the pilot's field of vision and in a line abreast formation that further restricted their view of other aircraft, the lead aircraft, Black 1, turned right and collided with Black 2. Black 1's main rotor blades struck the tail section of Black 2 and detached. The aircraft rolled inverted and crashed, killing three of the four aircrew and eight of members of the SASR. The tail structure of Black 2 was severely damaged, including the loss of the tail rotor, but its pilot was able to maintain some control and crash-landed upright. Eight of the 15 on board survived the accident.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, the wreckage of both aircraft was engulfed by fire, fed by fuel and live ammunition. Despite this, several survivors were cut free and rescued by soldiers on the ground, at considerable risk to their own lives. 14 personnel were later recognised for their bravery, including three who were awarded the Star of Courage. The subsequent Board of Inquiry found "there was a Chain of Events that successively and cumulatively created the conditions and environment in which this accident became the inevitable outcome." . Charges were recommended against three Officers for negligence, deficiencies in their command of the exercise and poor judgement but these were subsequently dropped.

The accident highlighted to the public differences in the compensation provided to the families of those killed compared to survivors who were left with lifelong injuries. This generated political pressure to provide fair compensation that acknowledged the dangerous nature of military service, even during peace time. A parliamentary inquiry initiated by Minister for Defence Industry, Science and Personnel, Bronwyn Bishop would eventually lead to the creation of an entirely new, rehabilitation-focused compensation scheme commencing in 2004.

Aircraft and personnel
The two aircraft involved in the collision were operating as part of formation of six Black Hawks from A Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment based at nearby RAAF Base Townsville, under the callsign Destrier Black. Individual aircraft were designated Black 1-6. Captain Kel Hales had recently qualified for the role of flight leader, piloting A25-209 as Black 1 with Captain John Berrigen. This Black Hawk was delivered new to the regiment in February 1990. Black 2, A25-113 (delivered June 1989), was piloted by Captain David Burke, the squadron's only Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) and Lieutenant Simon Edwards. During the early 1990s, the Army had been struggling to retain experienced pilots placing a very high workload on Burke. A shortage of spare parts and delayed maintenance over the previous two years had also left many of the squadron's Black Hawks grounded for extended periods. This had limited the opportunities for junior pilots like Hales to build experience flying under realistic conditions. Each Black Hawk carried a crew of four - two pilots and one loadmaster on each of the right and left cabin doors. The air element was led by A squadron's commander Major C Jameson.

In total, the formation carried 24 aircrew from the 5th Aviation Regiment and 43 special forces troopers from 1 Squadron, Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) based at Campbell Barracks in Western Australia. The SASR element was commanded by Major W Hunter, although during the planning phase of the mission, Captain S Bellis was the regiment's senior officer in the Townsville area. Supervising the live fire practice on the ground was Warrant Officer Class 2 Green.

Background
After placing an initial order for S-70A Black Hawk helicopters in 1984 to meet an Army capability requirement, the Australian Government announced in 1986 that control of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) battlefield air-lift helicopters would be transferred to the Army over a five-year period. This move was intended to provide better integration with Army operations that had become the helicopter squadrons' primary role. As a consequence of the rapid expansion of Army aviation and loss of experience RAAF personnel, the Australian Army Aviation Corps struggled to retain trained pilots and faced shortages of ground support personnel. In addition, the RAAF still controlled spare parts inventories for the helicopters based on forecasted needs during their introduction to service, which no longer met operational demands. These factors resulted in high rates of unserviceability of the 5th Avaition Regiment's Black Hawks during the early 1990s and limited the opportunities for new pilots to gain experience in the aircraft.

Exercise DAY ROTOR 96 was part of series that provided the SASR practice for counter-terrorism and special recovery operations using helicopters. There was a particular emphasis on these tasks in the lead up to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, incorporating an activity on the second day of the exercise that was intended to simulate a rescue of Australians held hostage by armed terrorists, when the accident occurred. While the SASR trained continually for counter-terrorism response tasks, lack of availability of Black Hawks in the preceding years had impacted on the 5th Aviation Regiment's ability to routinely practice for these missions outside of the twice annual exercises.

On the second day of the exercise, 12 June 1996, SASR troopers were to conduct a live-fire practice airmobile assault on a fire support base within the High Range Training Area, first under day and then night conditions. During the assault missions, four Black Hawks would carry the troopers to pre-determined locations near gun emplacements where they would be inserted by fast-roping from the helicopters, while two other aircraft provided fire support.

Reconnaissance and mission briefing
Initial planning for the air and ground elements of Exercise DAY ROTOR 96 occurred in isolation by units located on opposite sides of the country. Following the selection of Fire Support Base (FSB) Barbara as a suitable location by members of the SASR command team who had travelled to Townsville prior to the exercise, a detailed reconnaissance was conducted by four soldiers in preparation for the day two activity. Despite recommendations following previous exercises that a combined reconnaissance should be carried out, no aviators from the 5th Aviation Regiment took part, instead relying an assumption that the SASR had taken the regiment's needs into consideration. A need for aerial photographs of FSB Barbara had also been identified by SASR mission planners, however neither unit obtained any such photographs prior to the exercise. On 11 June, the day before the activity, a video recording of FSB Barbara was made by an SASR soldier from a Black Hawk belonging to a different squadron. The video was shown to the aircrew during their briefings, but was of such poor quality that they agreed it was of little value for planning

The aircrew were briefed on the layout and insertion points at FSB Barbara based on a rough, not to scale, sketch made during the SASR reconnaissance. This contributed the aircrew, who had never seen the target area themselves before the simulated day-time assault, receiving an inaccurate briefing about the positions of the gun emplacements where insertion was to occur.

Day assault
The day-time assault was completed without incident, however the pilots found the environment at FSB Barbara to be more confined than they had expected during the briefing. The pilot of Black 2, Captain David Burke, an experienced flying instructorThe night assault was flown under realistic conditions, using night vision goggles and without the helicopter's navigation or positioning lights illuminated. The mission followed the same profile as the during the day, however minor changes were made after the SASR troopers requested that the fire support aircraft break formation earlier for more time over the target. It was also decided the helicopters would approach the objective at a lower altitude than during the day.

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Recovery and inquiry
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, injured survivors were evacuated by the four remaining helicopters to Queens Park, adjacent to the Townsville General Hospital. BOI findings disputed by fraser and Hales family - blame the dead soldier. Estimated $37 million equipment lost

Legacy
A memorial honouring those killed in the accident was unveiled by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane and Townsville mayor Tony Mooney in August 1997. The memorial was funded by the Townsville community and is located inside The Palemtum in the suburb of Annandale.

Political responses to the accident resulted in a number of major reforms. The Minister for Defence, Ian McLachlan announced the establishment of a new authority within the Australian Defence Force to oversee aspects of flight safety (now known as the Defence Aviation Safety Authority). Additionally, all military aircraft were to be fitted with flight recorders.

Sole surviving aircrew member of Black 1, right-hand loadmaster JJ Fraser returned to active service

The Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Awards are annually bestowed upon Australian soliders who display moral courage and strength or character in upholding the Army's values. The awards were named in honour of decorated SAS trooper and combat medic Jonathan Church, who was killed in the accident.

Early life and career
Zuccoli was born in Morbegno, Valtellina, Italy. His father was a professor of Physics and Mathematics and his mother was the daughter of restaurateurs. After studying civil engineering, he migrated to Australia in 1961, securing work with Transfield in North Queensland.

Guido formed Steelcon Constructions Pty Ltd, based in Darwin and was contracted for major infrastructure projects by the Northern Territory Government, including the Palmerston water tower, a landmark in the city. Steelcon was also contracted to design and install Katherine river bridge over 300 infrastructure projects in NT (ABC radio)



While working out of Top Springs, a remote locality in the Victoria Daly Region, Zuccoli obtained his pilot's license to reduce the time spent travelling long distances between infrastructure projects around the Territory.

Chipmunk Piper Aztec. Founding member of top end aerobatics club (ABC radio)

After giving up aerobatic flying, Zuccoli turned his focus to the restoration of military aircraft. During the 1980s, he purchased and restored a number of warbirds, including three Hawker Sea Fury fighters from the Iraqi Air Force. Guido retained one of the Sea Furies in his personal collection, exhibiting it at air shows around the country. Also in his collection was Fiat G.59-4B, Ciao Bella. In 1987, Zuccoli became the first Australian to compete in the Unlimited category at the Reno Air Races in this aircraft, which was at the time the only flying example in the world.

Personal life
Love of opera. Cooking and curing meats (ABC radio) Guido met his wife Lynette while working at Chinchilla and they married in 1965. The couple had one daughter, Annamaria born in 1970.

Death
Zuccoli was killed on 6 March 1997 when a T-6 Harvard aircraft he was piloting suffered a catastrophic engine failure after takeoff from RAAF Base Tindal near Katherine in the Northern Territory. Zuccoli had just completed a rebuild of the airframe and was flying the aircraft from Darwin to Melbourne with the owner as a passenger when the accident occurred. The aircraft stalled with insufficient altitude to recover, with the forward section of the cockpit where Zuccoli was seated sustaining most of the impact damage. The owner, occupying the rear seat, suffered only minor injuries.

Divisions and subsidiaries


Aspen Medical is a major partner in the CareFlight International medical retrieval service. The aircraft, operated by Pel-Air are based in Darwin and Sydney and are used for interstate and international air ambulance missions, including the high profile evacuation of the President of East Timor to Darwin following an assassination attempt in 2008. This service also operates in support of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, as well as private customers involved in remote area oil and gas projects.

The Remote Area Health Corps was formed in 2008, with Aspen Medical contracted by the Department of Health to improve access to primary healthcare in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

Global operations
While headquartered in Australia, Aspen Medical operates in Europe, Canada, the Middle East, USA and parts of Asia.

Internationally, Aspen Medical operations include a joint venture with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, the National Ambulance Company established in Abu Dhabi in 2012. The service was expanded in 2014 to provide First responder ambulance services across six of the seven Emirates.

Through another partnership with local company Curtain Bros, in November 2014 Aspen Medical opened a state of the art hospital in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The facility builds on Aspen Medical's presence in the Pacific nation following the company's efforts to contain an outbreak of cholera in 2010.

History
Aspen Medical was established in 2003 by Dr. Andrew Walker and Glenn Keys, a former aerospace engineer in the Australian Army who had also trained in logistics. While visiting England early in the decade, Keys became aware of the Blair government's plans to reform the National Health Service. Identifying a need for innovation and expertise outside of the bureaucracy, Keys approached long term friend Dr. Andrew Walker and despite initial reservations, in a consultancy capacity they successfully tendered for a contract to review the delivery of orthopedic services by the NHS. At this stage, Aspen Medical operated out of Keys' home in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm. Following on from this, the company was awarded a further contract to reduce waiting times for orthopedic surgery in Northern England.

The company's first major operation was to provide medical support to the multinational Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. As the government of the island nation had collapsed, access to even basic healthcare for the local population was extremely limited and Aspen played a key role in providing infrastructure to restore a wide range these services. A mobile surgical suite was acquired by the company in 2005 and positioned in the Solomon Islands. The suite is built into a semi-trailer and can be rapidly deployed to isolated and remote areas, only requiring an external power source to be fully operational.

In Queensland, a shortage of doctors forced the closure of Caboolture Hospital's emergency department in 2006. The State Government took the unusual step of engaging Aspen Medical to reopen the department, in a move that drew some criticism due to the cost to taxpayers for the partial privatisation of a state-run public hospital - the government estimating the $7 million per year was twice that of having the public sector operate the facility.

In 2008, Aspen medical teams working with were credited with performing life-saving emergency surgery following an assassination attempt on Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos Horta while operating with the International Stabilisation Force in the country. Aspen Medical also facilitated the aeromedical evacuation of Ramos Horta to Darwin for further treatment. In recognition of their efforts, the President conferred the Timor Leste Solidarity Medal upon the teams.

The company was named 2009 Private Business of the Year (turnover up to $100 million) by magazine BRW and ANZ Corporate Banking. Aspen Medical was awarded a four-year, $500 million contract in 2012 to provide medical services at major Australian Defence Force bases. It was the largest contract undertaken by the company at the time and was projected to employ more than 1000 specialist staff.

West African Ebola epidemic
In response to the ongoing Ebola virus epidemic in Africa, in November 2014 the Australian Government announced a commitment of up to A$20 million in assistance, foregoing a tender process and awarding Aspen Medical a contract to co-ordinate the response and operate a specialist treatment facility in Sierra Leone. The 100-bed facility would be staffed by mixture of The announcement drew criticism from non-government organisations and media, who claim that contracting out the Australian response to a private company sends a mixed message and questioning Aspen's experience and expertise in training and protecting staff. Critics also questioned the exclusion of established trained multi-disciplinary Australian Medical Assistance Teams in the effort and urged Aspen to work closely with NGOs already in the affected region to ensure proper safety protocols were established. These concerns were echoed publically by Australian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale and Australian Medical Association president Brian Owler

Aspen founder and CEO Glenn Keys responded to these criticisms by pointing out that

Philanthropy
The company

Glenn Keys was named the Australian Capital Territory finalist for the 2015 Australian of the Year award, shortlisted for his work as a business and philanthropic leader and emphasis on the Aspen Group's commitment to social responsibility.

Australian Capital Territory

 * In the Canberra suburb of Belconnen, approximately 1 km of carriageway remains intact and unused that was formerly a dedicated limited access bus lane linking Coulter Drive and Benjamin Way. The remaining alignment begins at an at-grade intersection with Coulter Road, which has since had traffic signals removed. It then turns south towards an underpass below Totterdell Street, running paralell to Joynton Smith Drive under Luxton Street before abruptly terminating at a barrier fence in an undercover parking area. The carriageway was closed in 2009 during major extensions and renovations to the Westfield Belconnen shopping centre, as part of a redevlopment of the Town Centre which saw several suburban streets re-routed, severing the bus lane's connection to the redesigned Belconnen Community Bus Station.

Sydney

 * The


 * The Great North Road is a heritage listed, colonial era road link between Sydney and the Hunter Valley. The 260 km was constructed by convict labour between 1825 and 1836, but fell into disuse due to the rugged terrain it traverses when alternative routes became available.

Description of alignment
The line began at the original wooden jetty at Stokes Hill. From here the line passed through what is now the Darwin Waterfront Precinct and into a substantial yard which included the Darwin passenger terminus located near the current junction of McMinn Street and Frances Bay Drive. Sidings built during World War II connected the yard to the Navy victualling yards, an Army petrol depot and a short spur line to the yard at Fort Hill jetty. From the Frances Bay yard, the alignment skirts the northwestern edge of the CBD, passing under the Stuart Highway (Daly Street bridge), and between the suburbs of The Gardens and Stuart Park.

The alignment crosses the Stuart Highway at grade as it enters Parap. Here the short branch to the Vestey's Meatworks at Bullocky Point (the current site of Darwin High School) joined the main line at a triangle junction. The alignment continues east, parallel to the Stuart Highway through Parap through the site of the locomotive depot and workshops. Some of the buildings associated with this facility are still in use as a depot for Powerwater. The formation crosses Woolner Road and the Stuart Highway towards Winnellie and the former RAAF Sidings. The embankment and some sections of track are preserved in this area.

From the RAAF Base, the alignment is preserved as a cycle path closely following the Stuart Highway on the northern side, past the former location of the siding at Knuckey's Lagoon and as far as Tulagi Road near Robertson Barracks. The route then passes through Howard Springs, Freds Pass and McMinns Lagoon to the preserved Wishart Siding, a former maintenence camp located to the north of the Arnhem Highway. During upgrades to the line in the 1960s, a loading point for ore was also established near this location. Continuing south, the alignment crosses the Elizabeth River near Noonamah, an important depot during World War II.

At Noonamah, the alignment crosses the Stuart Highway once more and travels southwest to Southport Road station, located some 9 km from the actual town site, then across the Darwin River. This was an important water point for steam locomotives and the site of a quarry from which rubble was carried to the RAAF sidings during the 1950s for construction purposes. Beyond this point, the abandoned line heads south through Litchfield National Park and the abandoned Rum Jungle uranium mine, to the former Rum Jungle and Batchelor stations. Between Batchelor and Adelaide River, the former line passes a ballast pit used by Millars during its construction, as well as a number of smaller station locations.

At Adelaide River, a short branch line serving the Snake Creek Naval Armaments Depot was constructed during World War II. Much of the infrastructure still exists at this location. The original 1888 bridge across the river is easily visible from the Stuart Highway, and the preserved railway station serves as a museum. A former Commonwealth Railways locomotive, NSU 63 is on display outside the station