Disbandment of 12 Field Squadron
On the 30 June 1987 a letter outlining the reasons for the restructuring the Army reserve and the disbandment of 12 Field Squadron was sent to all members of 12 Fd Sqn
The decision was made that in Tasmania, with the available resources, an Infantry Battalion is required as a higher priority than some of the other units that currently exist.
The letter outlines the options of employment within the new 12/40 Battalion or other Reserve units along with the option for discharge with effect from 01 Dec 1987
Click on the PDF files below to view the document
The photo below is of the 12 Field Squadron members on the final unit parade night prior to disbandment
Reunion
A reunion of ex 12 Fd Sqn RAE members was held at the Polish Hall on the 17th Nov 2007 and a BBQ at Dowsing Point
on the 18th Nov 2007.
The reunion was arranged to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the unit disbandment in 1987. Both functions were a great success and members told and relived a lot of memories of the good times served with their fellow sappers.
Back to BMTA and Maria Island
In the past, there has been an opportunity for ex members to revisit the Buckland Military Training Area (BMTA) and Maria Island.
The first exertion arranged in 2005 was to the BMTA. This revisit to the BMTA coincided with some works being undertaken by 22 Const where they constructed a culvert on the South Eastern boundary of the range.
It also allowed the members to see the improvement of the upgraded infrastructure at Scale A accommodation, which was a vast change to what was available at the time when the Squadron used the facility.
The upgrade at BMTA was completed after the Stony Head Training Area had been refurbished earlier.
The MTR firing range was also shown to the visitors.
The members, after meeting with the 22 Const sappers and inspecting the Scale A, went to look at the culvert and then the MTR firing range.
The second excursion was to Maria Island in 2012. The trip was arranged with the Parks and Wildlife department. 12 Fd Sqn had perviously conducted annual camps on the island in 1977 to demolish old cement works and minor maintenance works and again in 1981 to upgrade bridges and roads as well as constructing a series of firebreaks. The members who attended that weekend helped the Park Rangers repair the deck on one of the wooden bridges.
