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| Sydney shocked as Blackhawk helicopters storm a building in Rosebery |
| Local News - Sydney | ||
| Written by Daniel Shaw | ||
| Wednesday, 01 December 2010 02:53 | ||
|
READ MORE TO VIEW GALLERY & VIDEO Ground crews moved into position, seizing control of three entry points. The front door was cut in half by a chainsaw, the side entry was sledge hammered in, and finally in spectacular style, the first floor balcony window was blown in by explosives. The shockwave from the blast could be felt from the filming position, causing the camera to vibrate. A forth entry point was made into the building by utilising one of the helicopters. Commandos abseiled down a black rope and forced entry into the upper levels. For the next 25 minutes the specialists worked their way from room to room. Clearing their way with flash-bang grenades. At one point, the downdraft from the Helicopter rotors was so strong, it ripped off a “For Lease” sign and flung it into the air and into the building. The operation concluded at 10.30pm with nearby residents left in shock. NSW Police attended the scene and shut down nearby roads to ensure the public remained safe during the military exercise. The second operation took place at around 1:00am near Waverton, where a ship was boarded and brought under control. Many residents in both suburbs had no idea such an operation was taking place. The exercises are an ongoing training programme undertaken by ADF.
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Comments (34)
wake up all you wingers
written by cheryl, at 9:44:33 pm EST on 10 December 2010
As the mother of a soldier i say to all you wingers who lost a bit of sleep you poor little babies you are all gutless wonders who would not have the guts yourself to do what these boys do you lost what a hour of sleep sometimes these boys dont sleep for three days traing to save your sorry coward arses these boys train to protect us you buch of loosers wuld rather be woken for a short time or sleep permanant spreed aa over roseberry terrorist are here face it you need these boys and there traing they are the best of best so suck it up you wingers and just be glad they are their to protect us and yes you sorry lot as well
r u kidding?
written by christian m, at 3:39:48 pm EST on 08 December 2010
the fact that u question and be critical of the timings and actions that took place is disgusting. the facts are times such as 1am an different unknown locations are vital components of the training! do you think its easy for adf to operate at 1am at 100% or to do their job in a unknown environment.? ever heard the term "train as you would play" in this day and age and all the terroist acts that occur around the world. it is a blessing that we have soldiers that can respond and act so professionally and efficiently cos at the end of the day if it had been a real hostile situation and the army were to slow i can gaurantee your 1st question would be "why wernt we ready for this" "why did this to happen" everything around there exercis of how, where and when it was conducted was vital to there own progression and development. we should respect that and thank god that we are safe and respect the men and woman responsible for this and let them do there job just as they protect us in ours
cheers CM
...
written by redred, at 10:04:01 am EST on 07 December 2010
Matt.What planet are you on.Chill man
For all the complaints
written by rach, at 11:16:26 am EST on 06 December 2010
For all the people whose sleep was disrupted there were at least as many who thought is was better than fire cracker night. I live opposite the rta building (the disused office building) and we had a couple of blackhawks hovering directly above us - extremely close (they are huge) - for all the residents of our apartments it appeared to be a festive event - everyone out (some in pj's) on the balcony on the 4th floor - cameras, some wine glasses and smiles all 'round. It is not often that one gets so close to such an event.
I feel for people whose sleep was disrupted but we wouldn't have missed it for the world. Also the people involved were very friendly, I even got a wave during one daytime exercise prior and the police and firey's were equally friendly, even when we accidentally were about to wander into a cordoned off area.. In terms of choice of buildings, I guess it is handy that is is marked for demolition and opposite (next to us) is a large building site, over which they also hovered - this would minimise impact on residents to an extent, I imagine. My only regret is that I was too nervous to go get the camera in case I missed the best bits.
Some people just don't get it....
written by Matt, at 1:33:22 pm EST on 05 December 2010
Urban warfare training.
Can anyone think why they'd be training on an office building?! Hello. With the coming economic strain you'd be daft to think that there won't be civil unrest and these guys won't be used to quell dissent. They did Urban warfare training in the US in the 90s! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7SnVeKLXTM
I wonder
written by Bob, at 4:41:14 pm EST on 04 December 2010
I wonder if Mr Alex has ever criticized the police, the health care system, our government, doctors, nurses, meter officers, cleaners, or any civil servants who work for the good of the society we live in.
Perhaps he'd realize that by his argument, he apparently does not have any right to say they have ever done anything poorly because they're doing it for our benefit and are therefore infallible saints. Again - we have had this twice in one month. Most people DID ignore it on the first "once off". By the way "redred", read the whole article, there was a second job at 1am. The maternity hospital was still shaking at 1:45am.
hmm
written by Alex, at 3:58:23 pm EST on 04 December 2010
I believe if you want a complete and truthful argument, maybe you should contact TAG-East to find out why they planned and carried out the exercise they way they did...but I doubt they will give out any real information as to why, or if you can actually get in contact with them.
And discussing something like this on a forum, can get heated, with no real resolution to your question At the end of the day it was done. you lost some sleep. but they had no sleep at all, they were working...and its a one off if not a very very rare event. Regards, Alex
THE REAL ISSUE
written by Paul, at 4:20:04 pm EST on 03 December 2010
@ homer, bob, peter, natalie sloane,amanda, redred and alex
Each of you seem to be highly critical of those of us who object to such excercises at 1.00am. Not a single one of you has proposed a single justification for the 1.00am excercise which was the ONLY criticism in my original post. As I have said on 3 occasions now - I have no problem with 9pm or 10pm and fully accept the need and reason for these excercises. Judging by your reaction a person might think I had proposed lining the ADF boys and girls up against a wall and shooting them - come on! I put forward a valid criticism of a single aspect of these excercises and nobody has given me any answer to my specific criticism - just a bunch of hot air and character assasination. So either give me a valid argument or get off your high horses folks.
Funny
written by Alex, at 3:27:21 pm EST on 03 December 2010
Any one winging on this forum just makes me laugh. SUCK IT UP. fitter the only thing unAustralian is winging...
Do any of you actually know how many man hours go into something like this? man hours for aircraft, manning, fuel, supplies, ordnance and so on. think about this. training has to be done in different architectural diverse buildings, and environments at various distances from the base, having to get a last min call get in gear, get aircraft ready and get all crews briefed and geared up.... get all elements both ground and air into position is a magnificent achievement. and all of it timed, so it can be improved on.... estimating how long it would take you to get to the city is not the same thing and done very bloody well from what we all got to see on the video, and some of us live. I live 300 meters away... so don't think Im talking s**t from god know where away
The real issue
written by Paul, at 10:41:04 am EST on 03 December 2010
OK folks - I take full responsibility for setting off this increasingly heated debate by my post on the 1st Dec which, I might add was in no way critical of the Defence Forces or the need for training, (urban and night time as well).
The real issue is that there is NO added benefit to be had from training at 1.00am as against 9.00pm so why do it? Personally I think that this is just another example of thoughtless planning by the bureaucrats who devise these exercises.
...
written by fitter, at 8:27:47 am EST on 03 December 2010
Homer - did I spell blackhawk wrong?, clearly my argument is flawed then. What have I done for my country's freedom? Well, my patriotic friend, with all due respect to the ADF, they have fought few battles since world war two that have done anything for our freedom either, but fighting for our freedom was not the argument. The argument was that this "training" operation was a bit over the top, and could have been conducted away from people's homes, but questioning anything to with with our brave fighting men's operations always gets the same defending our freedom, unaustralian nationalistic response from sheep like you.
1.00am
written by redred, at 5:30:46 am EST on 03 December 2010
The Roseberry job was at 9.00 PM for about less than an hour .Thats a resonable time.The girl said in her interview that she was watching NCIS and they certainly were not on at 1 am.
But I agree with everyone that says it has to be done and it does so the ones who want to complain about a little noise get back under your rock.
Wow
written by Bob, at 10:15:03 pm EST on 02 December 2010
OK, calmly think about it for a second please.
Everyone understands the need for training. The question was why it had to happen at 1 AM. It wasn't just once, this was the second time in so many weeks. The last time it operated at 9PM, which was a more reasonable hour that still allowed for night/dark training. Second, how do you justify that because terrorists might attack at any hour, that training has to happen at any hour as well? That's like saying terrorists will use real ammunition and people will die, so we'll have to recreate that too in training. "Defense exercises need an element of surprise in order to attack the enemy" -- and why exactly would a TRAINING exercise need an element of surprise on RESIDENTS?
...
written by Collingwood, at 8:56:44 pm EST on 02 December 2010
was the for lease sign recovered?
...
written by Collingwood, at 8:56:07 pm EST on 02 December 2010
did anyone recover the for lease sign??
Reality
written by Bob, at 6:00:20 pm EST on 02 December 2010
Fitter, you're more than welcome to your view as naive as it may be. But if you know a way for the lads to get all the way up to the top of that building quick enough to save your sorry ass, then I'm sure the ADF would love to hear your ideas. I'm sure they'd prefer to be asleep at that time of the morning, but last time I checked, terrorists didn't play by gentleman's rules? At least the soldiers are giving up their sleep to conduct some training that prepares them for this. How about you just go back to your armchair and keep being that ignorant and selfish person that takes all of the freedoms and liberties that Australia enjoys for granted.
Spoilt Australians
written by Homer, at 5:35:01 pm EST on 02 December 2010
Fitter, there are holes in you're statement my friend. You state that you have a brain that needs sleep, clearly you don't as you cant even manage to spell Blackhawk properly! The fine men and women who serve this country to protect spoilt people like yourself deserve the respect and the opportunity to train. What do you do for this country's freedom?????????????
...
written by fitter, at 4:28:23 pm EST on 02 December 2010
Amanda, your obviously an Army stooge, or married to one. There is no justification for the army to storm buildings shooting blanks, and buzzing houses at 1am in the morning, especially in residential areas. If they want to conduct these over the top drills, do it at Holesworthy. Thanks for swallowing the defence force mantra about protecting us from the terrorist bogeyman, but the rest of us with a brain treasure our sleep. Im yet to understand how black hawkes relate to preventing terrorist attacks, can you explain?
Wake Up
written by Amanda, at 3:25:33 pm EST on 02 December 2010
For all of you that had your sleep disrupted and have an issue with it…boo hoo for you! The defence force operates under an element of surprise in so much as the service men and women involved don't even know of their targets because lets face it when the terrorists attack it might not be at 2 in the afternoon at the training barracks - WAKE UP! And yes you bunch of whingers would be the first to complain about how your tax dollars were being spent if the military were not properly trained
...
written by brad, at 7:43:19 am EST on 02 December 2010
the military came from east hills barracks liverpool - Holsworthy
...
written by peter, at 7:29:32 am EST on 02 December 2010
How dare you comment on these training excercises in the despicable, thoughtless manner in which you have! You may complain now and believe that you have been put under an hardship for an hour.
You complain that these men are training to prepare themselves for a real life situation in which it is their job to protect you. If these men fail to resolve a real situation it would be you guys who complain first believing they need more training. I think that you can deal with one hour of disrupted sleep and these men do the job which none of you are prepared to do yourselves.
Im with the Army on this one sorry.
written by natalie sloane, at 11:50:22 pm EST on 01 December 2010
Im sorry but the army dont have to give warning for exercises. They cant do it during the day due to flight path restrictions. So think about it! It is not like they are doing it every night of the week or troubling you that much. Defence exercises need an element of surprise in order to attack the enemy.
Woken up
written by Donna small, at 9:36:25 pm EST on 01 December 2010
I was rudely awakened last night to the sound of 4 black hawks traveling low near my house. I thought Australia was under some form of terrorist attack. Felt extremely sorry for the people in Roseberry when I found out what they had had to endure. I would have had conniptions if I had seen them storm a building and see explosives going off. They at least could have given everyone some warning.
What is the reasoning for doing this at 1AM?
written by Bob, at 8:12:39 pm EST on 01 December 2010
I see no justification for doing this in a residential area at 1 AM. These helicopters caused windows and roofs to shake for a whole hour. There are maternity hospitals in the area. There was no warning. What is the excuse?
Training needs to happen, but there must be better places and at the very least, a better TIME to do this. With the complete lack of explanation to the public, it gives the impression of an incompetent organisation if they carry out such operations with zero consideration to the public.
Me too, paul
written by louise, at 7:40:11 pm EST on 01 December 2010
I saw at least e choppers pass overhead close to one. It was really loud (they were LOW) and my windows were vibrating. Went on for a bit.
Yes, thanks for reporting!
If that's not terrorism, I don't know what is......
written by Will, at 7:28:20 pm EST on 01 December 2010
Does the military budget not extend to adequate training facilities? I suspect they have areas where they can do this away from peoples homes...... So why do it?
Ever think the 'Training' is not for the army guys?
...
written by brad, at 3:58:34 pm EST on 01 December 2010
ther mite be another one some where else i dont know
best stuff ever seen in person
written by brad, at 3:57:18 pm EST on 01 December 2010
i just wish i wa there for the whole thing it was the most spectacular thing i have ever seen. (as soon as i heard a loud noise i knew wht it was becouse at my school i heard that black hawk helicopters were at the hospital in rand wick.- i new couse at the end of school they flew past my school . plus i live in zetland
sell tickets
written by pete, at 3:22:48 pm EST on 01 December 2010
with performances like this i reckon they should sell tickets the army could make heaps.
Good Point
written by Barbara, at 3:12:51 pm EST on 01 December 2010
Good point, Paul. We also live close by and would have been better prepared if we had been warned. Accepting they need to train, consideration should be given to young children and pets.
...
written by Paul, at 3:00:24 pm EST on 01 December 2010
I know we have to train and perhaps in urban environment after dark bu I can see no justification for buzzing residents awake at 1.00am.
I had repeated low level passes over my home by 4 Blackhawks between 9 and 10pm with a further one waking me in shock about 12.45am. I live in the Ryde/Meadowbank area. Anyhow good on you for reporting it - I've been looking all day for some reporting on this.
Boom!
written by Tanya, at 9:23:29 am EST on 01 December 2010
I saw the entire operation from my balcony last night, which was about 150 metres from the action. It was spectacular, frightening, awe-inspiring and very, very loud. Local residents weren't notified of the drill, so a good portion thought it was some sort of high-end drug raid.
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 12 December 2010 19:42 |
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