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BC · **Posted:** Thu Jan 15, 2026 8:20 pm

The walk bridge should be left alone. It should not be removed, and it should not be turned into a monument for anything.

Any memorials should down in the park or beach where the majority of those that were shot.

Nothing should be memorialised for the terrorists.

Stroppy Chippie · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2026 1:17 am

Not sure where to place this, so here is as good as any place. For those who might wonder the level of change occurring next to or around the old base, here is an ad for a new home on Bellman Drive Nirimba Fields. To date this is as far as the housing has stretched. There are a couple of images looking across "open land" (former airfield). On the far side are the mid 1970s built apprentice accommodation blocks (so the parade ground site in front of them) and, to the right are the four Wellman hangars. Care to note how much fill has been used. www.realestate.com.au/property-house-ns ... -149918872 61 Bellman Drive Nirimba Fields.

Seejay · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2026 11:15 am

BC, fully agree with not touching the bridge. If it's removed the moslems will claim it as a victory and tout their garbage again. Should there be a memorial...? Dunno.

Brian, Quakers Acres seems to be well developed now and erasing Nirimba's memory just as all us old techos fade into history - albeit a history that the mullets in Canberra hasten to erase it quickly.

As far as fill is concerned, nothing will ever be enough to stop all the various rubbish dumps and convenient 'nasty stuff' burial sites releasing their dangers to the surface in years to come. C'est la vie.

BC · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2026 12:21 pm

My niece worked as a lecturer at Western Sydney Uni for more than 10 years, and left last year as the Uni was moving to Campbelltown. She didn't want to be travelling that far for work each day and didn't want to move!

I spoke to her last week and she keeps in touch with old colleagues. Apparently, the Naval Memorability has been moved to a museum somewhere.

Before she left, she said that the place was being left to run down with next to no maintenance. Old naval personnel would be unimpressed with what they would see these days.

Apparently the TaFE is still operating, but if I remember correctly, the Year 12 Student programs have also been moved to another facility.

Stroppy Chippie · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2026 11:07 pm

TAFE attempted to relocate much of their training to their Kingswood Campus then realised that the four Bellman hangars (and surrounding area) could not be accommodated on that site. With regard to the senior high schools, they were established to take all of the Years 11 and 12 from surrounding high schools. With those being returned to those high schools they are required to reinvent themselves. It might be possible that they end up as the Nirimba Fields high school (the Nirimba Fields public school is being built not too far from this house). The former mayor of Blacktown (now Blacktown State member) has been arcing up about the university downsizing on site (when his own spiel was talking up the first university in Blacktown going to be in the CBD - in later times). Would assume DHA will take over the site and build a shit load more houses.

Seejay · **Posted:** Sun Jan 18, 2026 10:09 am

When I posted back to Nirimba in 1980 I first went to the Barrackmaster's Workshop sited adjacent to the old Quarterdeck cricket green. Via W.O. Dusty Durston I got more & more involved with the Dept of Works & the various jobs going on around Nirimba. We had to keep an eye on the various departments and make sure they didn't alter or damage/destroy their various buildings & surrounds.

During my travels I discovered that virtually eveyone had their own dump nearby. The Greenie empire around 259 had various pits that all sorts of dead parts, lubricants and so on disappeared into, as did the pig farm with chemicals, old medicines etc., the gardeners' blockhouse (who could forget Fort Perrin?) buried all sorts of chemicals, pesticides, etc., gunnery buried misfired rounds and other ammo/chemicals behind the target range, and the actual rubbish dump (down near the shitfarm) became the resting place for old cars, motorbikes, batteries, heaps and heaps of soluble oil and other lubricants from all the machine shops plus heaven knows what else from around the place.

Then there were the underground fuel tanks. When the road over the creek across to 259 was widened the contractor found a strange pipe sticking out of the ground and in his way. So he cut it off with a gas axe. The resultant pillar of fire scared the crap out of not only the contractor, but also Nirimba, Quakers Hill, Blacktown fire department & other sundry government department. It burned for around 4 days from memory and was then partially filled with water and foam. We knew there were others, but they didn't appear on the master plan drawings.

Not a place I would buy a house.

BC · **Posted:** Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:12 pm

No wonder you have such a wealth of knowledge. While the rest of us were just doing our duties, you were infiltrating other authorities. Gathering significant valuable information to then go on clandestine missions to sensitive areas like Bldg 259, Fort Perrin, Ballistics Range and Treatment Works, trying to dig up some dirt on operations.

No wonder you have such a huge Chippy's tool box! :happy2:

Stroppy Chippie · **Posted:** Mon Jan 19, 2026 12:24 am

Funny thing that target range. Going to assume that it was originally built for the adjustment of aircraft guns. From what I was told, might tie in with the considerable level of ordnance removal on the land behind (and other side of the creek) that is now part of the Stonecutters Ridge Golf Course. With regard to any "dumps" on the airfield or in the area of the pig farm, then those areas are now under metres of fill.

Seejay · **Posted:** Mon Jan 19, 2026 6:02 pm

BC wrote:

No wonder you have such a wealth of knowledge. While the rest of us were just doing our duties, you were infiltrating other authorities. Gathering significant valuable information to then go on clandestine missions to sensitive areas like Bldg 259, Fort Perrin, Ballistics Range and Treatment Works, trying to dig up some dirt on operations.

No wonder you have such a huge Chippy's tool box! :happy2:

BC, being I/C of the Barrackmasters Workshop was one of my best postings, and coming after my time on Hobart it was the icing on the cake. Lots of interesting jobs to do and a Postie Motorbike as well.

Brian, the range concrete building did have some 'significant' pock marks in it's front.

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