NORFORCE traces its history back to the formation of the 2/1 North Australia Observer Unit (2/1 NAOU) on 11 May 1942.

This unit was formed in response to the threat to Australia’s north posed by Japan during World War Two. The men of the 2/1 NAOU deployed in small groups throughout the rugged north of Australia. They observed and reported on enemy movements on land, sea or in the air. These men, who worked often for months on end in some of the nation’s harshest and most isolated areas, were known colloquially as the ‘Nackeroos’.

Lieutenant Colonel Bill Stanner was the Commanding Officer of the Nackeroos. He had this to say about the unit in 1942:

At its peak strength, the Nackeroos consisted of nearly 550 men and employed 59 Aboriginal workers as guides and labourers. Nackeroo operations were scaled back as the Japanese threat towards Australia reduced towards the end of World War Two. Patrols were reduced in July 1943, and the unit was disbanded in March 1945. Following World War II only a small military presence was maintained in the sparsely populated north of Australia. However, on I July 1981 the first Regional Force Surveillance Unit (RFSU), the North West Mobile Force (NORFORCE), was officially raised. Using the nucleus of the Darwin based 7th Independent Rifle Company, the General Reserve strength was expanded and additional Australian Regular Army component staff were included.

NORFORCE was specifically raised to meet the requirements for surveillance and reconnaissance in the North and North West of Australia. The Regiment continues to play a key role in the development of the RFSU concept.

In 1985, two other RFSUs were raised: the Pilbara Regiment in Western Australia, and the 51st Battalion Far North Queensland Regiment in Cape York.

To assist in establishing NORFORCE’s identity, it was necessary to create an embellishment that would enable members to be readily identified as belonging to the unit. As NORFORCE was similar in many ways to the Nackeroos, the orange and green Double Diamond colour patch of the 2/1 NAOU was adopted. A slight alteration was made to the colour patch by changing the background colour from the 2nd AIF light grey to light sand, to reflect the earth colour of the unit’s vast Area of Responsibility (AR). This was reversed in late 1993 and the light grey backing was re-introduced. NORFORCE’s traditional link with the Nackeroos was further reinforced by the renaming of the NORFORCE Soldiers’ Club to that of the Stanner Club in memory of the Commanding Officer of 2/1 NAOU, Lieutenant Colonel (Professor) W.E.H. Stanner, CMG. The Club was officially opened by his widow on the 27 August 1983.

NORFORCE is a unique organisation for many reasons. It has the largest area of operations of any military unit in the world today and is permanently assigned to a Joint Commander for ongoing surveillance operations in northern Australia. The unit relies heavily on the commitment and local knowledge of the population of northern Australia to fulfil its role. It has a high proportion of Aboriginal soldiers whose talents are fully utilised. The appointment of successive Administrators of the Northern Territory as Honorary Colonels and eight Freedoms of Entry are examples of the close relationship NORFORCE enjoys with people of the Top End and the Kimberley. NORFORCE remains well-equipped to undertake its tasks, which differ little whether the nation is at peace or at war. The Regiment continues to develop in terms of the acquisition of new equipment and facilities and, consequently, is continually enhancing its capabilities. NORFORCE continues to enjoy great support from the local population from which it draws its soldiers, and which is its very reason for existing.

FREEDOM OF ENTRY

The tradition of a town or city granting the Freedom of Entry to a military unit can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In those times, a military unit was permitted to enter a town with the right to ‘carry arms, fly colours, sound drums and play bands’ if it had developed a relationship of trust and loyalty with the local population.
To date NORFORCE has been granted eight Freedoms of Entry; Darwin in 1981, Derby in 1983, Alice Springs in 1984, Katherine in 1986, Wyndham in 1986, Broome in 1987, Kununurra in 1990, Tennant Creek in 1994, and Darwin in 2003. These ceremonies stand as an important recognition of the standing of NORFORCE in Australia’s north.

PERSONNEL HISTORY