Baptisms return to the Barcoo

For the sappers of the 11^th Engineer Regiment supporting Queensland police in managing the state's cross-border traffic as part of the national COVID-19 response, it was the perfect project to say thank you to a community with strong Anzac links.

According to acting section commander, Lance corporal Brodie Paul, Windorah's cenotaph features three Mentioned in Despatches, a Military Medal and a Distinguished Flying Cross, and local families have seen their sons depart to every conflict Australia has participated in since the Boer War.

The Queensland Police Service considered the Windorah region to be the most sensible location to monitor vehicles entering or departing that part of the state, given its proximity to a number of highways leading west and south, and the soldiers became stationed there three months ago.

They learnt during conversation that the town's Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church had fallen into disrepair.

"We weren't about to let any jobs that needed doing about the town go unattended - particularly one with just 80 residents and an average age of over 60 years," Lance corporal Paul said.

"Once permission was granted to work on the church my troops became highly motivated.

"During the works two local ladies would deliver home baked cakes and stop for a chat - both have sons in the Army and were pleased to see the uniform in town."

The work took place over a number of days and saw the sappers employ a number of techniques, Lance corporal Paul said.

"The church dates to 1940 with most of the pieces within it being of high quality - a lot of love went into the building of this church 80 years ago.

"Often a clean and a light sanding with a fresh coat of paint brought out the best in different facets of the building and it was fortunate to have sapper Eamon Kelly - a skilled tradesperson - in our team.

"Without him this project wouldn't have been finished to such a high level."

The impact the works have had on the town are tangible, according to Marilyn Simpson, president of the Windorah Development Board and owner of the Western Star Hotel.

"The community are ever grateful; we have an aging population so getting the people power to fix the church is difficult, but we had a whole lot of strong Army folk who were itching to help," she said. "They are part of our community bubble."

Ms Simpson also said Defence support of her business during the COVID-19 restrictions had allowed her to keep two staff employed and the flow-on effects for the community were vital.

"Thanks to the support of Defence our community will come through COVID."

It has brought an unexpected boost to border town economies over the past three months, with more than $5 million reported to have been spent accessing catering, accommodation, hygiene and waste disposal services across multiple locations in Queensland.

In the state's north west soldiers from Townsville's 3^rd Brigade 2^nd Cavalry Regiment joined forces with community members in Urandangi and Normanton to make improvements to townships across the region.

In Urandangi they refurbished the Anzac memorial and also completed minor infrastructure repairs around the community and concreting and yard work at the 'Dangi' Pub, which also serves as the general store, Post Office and a wildlife care facility.

Lance corporal Paul said the church project reflected so much of the work being completed across the state by soldiers of the Joint Task Group 629.3 - providing essential support to Queensland police while integrating with local communities.

And now, in the words of Banjo's famous Bush Christening poem, where Maginnis Magee was christened at an Outer Barcoo shanty, baptisms can happen again.