39-422: Beadell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Len Beadell (1923–1995), Australian surveyor and road builder Robert Beadell (1925–1994), American classical composer See also [ edit ] 3161 Beadell , a main-belt asteroid Mount Beadell , a mountain of Western Australia [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
78-519: A Land Rover . He used a theodolite to observe the Sun or stars for latitude and longitude calculations. Once the line of the road had been decided, a bulldozer followed to cut a raw track, clearing away the spinifex and mulga scrub to form a basic level track. This was then graded using a standard road grader. The Gunbarrel Highway was begun at Victory Downs homestead 316 km (196 mi) by road south of Alice Springs . It then pushed west to
117-502: A cook, during construction of the Gunbarrel Highway. By the time road building was completed in 1963, Len had pulled 29 teeth, joking that he had 29 notches on his forceps. Len Beadell marked "astrofixes" along his roads with aluminium plates on which latitude, longitude and other information was stamped. Many of these have sadly been taken as souvenirs; there is a program underway to replace these with replicas. Len's legacy
156-503: A newer road, the Great Central Road , has superseded some of Beadell's original tracks by taking a more direct route, made possible with more modern heavy equipment. However, all of Len's original roads still exist, and are popular with hardcore four wheel drive enthusiasts. They may be difficult to negotiate and require a great deal of preparation. Almost all of them lie in aboriginal lands which require travel permits. He
195-666: A period of leave and further survey work in Queensland. In January 1944 he was promoted to Corporal. In March 1945 he was back in New Guinea at Lae with the unit. The company moved by ship to Wewak where there was a large enemy presence. Their assigned tasks were to map the coastal area, and build a new airstrip. The strip was completed in August 1945, just as the war came to an end. On return to Australia in December 1945 he
234-595: A trek over the mountains from Lae, the Japanese attackers were unable to capture Wau, as the Australian defenders had been greatly reinforced by air. Salamaua-Lae: April - September 1943 After the successful defence of Wau , which was followed up by an advance towards Mubo , a series of actions followed over the course of several months as the Australian 3rd Division advanced north-east towards Salamaua, including an amphibious landing at Nassau Bay . Keeping up
273-651: Is also to be seen on many standard Australian road maps of central desert areas, showing such things as "Len Beadell's Tree", and "Len Beadell's Burnt Out Truck". Mount Beadell in Western Australia was formally named after him by the Surveyor General of Western Australia in 1958. There is a stone cairn, memorial plaque, and a replica of his theodolite atop the mountain. ( 25°32′09″S 125°16′32″E / 25.53583°S 125.27556°E / -25.53583; 125.27556 ) In modern times
312-569: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Len Beadell Leonard Beadell OAM BEM FIEMS (21 April 1923 – 12 May 1995) was a surveyor , road builder, bushman, artist and author, responsible for constructing over 6,000 km (3,700 mi) of roads and opening up isolated desert areas – some 2.5 million square kilometres (970 thousand square miles) – of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. Born in West Pennant Hills , New South Wales , Beadell
351-716: Is sometimes called "the last true Australian explorer". Beadell's paternal grandparents came from England in the mid-1870s. His father Fred Algernon Beadell, was born in Sydney and mother Viola Pearl Mackay was from Townsville . They were married in Townsville on 19 December 1914, and soon moved to the Sydney area. A daughter Phyllis was born in 1917, followed by Len in April 1923. Beadell's primary education began at Gladesville Public School, Ryde in 1928 and continued at Burwood Public School in 1930, both suburbs of Sydney. At
390-420: The 49th Infantry Battalion . Initially, all Australian forces in New Guinea had been part of the 8th Military District ; however, in April 1942, an Army-wide reorganisation was undertaken which saw the establishment of a new command – New Guinea Force – with Major General Basil Morris in command. This force subsequently replaced the 8th Military District as the formation responsible for all Australian forces in
429-521: The Battle of Milne Bay . Further formations from I Corps were rotated through the New Guinea theatre of operations under the command of New Guinea Force: The subsequent major engagements were fought by units under New Guinea Force: Milne Bay: August – September 1942 While Australian forces were fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track to prevent the Japanese from reaching Port Moresby,
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#1732780053466468-619: The Gary Highway and Gary Junction Road for his son, the Anne Beadell Highway for his wife and Jackie Junction for his youngest daughter. These roads further opened up the inhospitable country, for a variety of purposes. Beadell chose and surveyed the location for the Giles Meteorological Station and airstrip during construction of the Gunbarrel Highway. During a break from construction of
507-803: The Rawlinson Ranges , skirting south of the Gibson Desert , via the mission at Warburton , to connect to an existing road at Carnegie Station. The total distance was about 1,400 km (870 mi). Len's stories of the building of this road are told in the first of his numerous books Too Long in the Bush , a reading of which will give some insight into the incredible feat that building this road was. Len suffered near starvation, many mechanical breakdowns, countless punctures and other mishaps, all in searing desert heat, but seemingly took it all in his stride with good humour. Beadell's sense of humour
546-410: The surname Beadell . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beadell&oldid=878454943 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
585-604: The "NEW GUINEA FORCE" is Over the course of the force's existence, its order of battle changed a number of times as various divisions and brigades were force assigned or reallocated. The following units were attached at various times: Headquarters – Port Moresby 8th Military District – Rabaul, New Hebrides and New Guinea January 1942 – 30th Brigade June 1942 - Maroubra Force September 1942 – Torres Strait Force August 1942 – May 1944 – 7th Division Early 1943 – August 1944 – 3rd Division August 1943 – 5th Division The divisions assigned to New Guinea Force at
624-456: The 2/6th Field Company, on the transport Orcades , who were sent to Java , and fought alongside Dutch forces there, but like most other minor garrisons were soon overwhelmed. Prior to the formation of New Guinea Force, in January 1942, the 30th Brigade was deployed to New Guinea arriving on the troopship RMS Aquitania , with the 39th and 53rd Infantry Battalions , and took command of
663-485: The 39th Battalion, which were fighting a rearguard action on the Kokoda Track. Around the same time, the 18th Brigade , under the command of Brigadier George Wootten , was sent to Milne Bay , to reinforce the 7th Brigade , which was defending the airfield at the eastern tip of Papua , supported by the Royal Australian Air Force and US engineers. The fighting which followed came to be known as
702-424: The 4th Brigade of the 3rd Division was sent to Milne Bay in April 1942 to assist protect and expand the airfield there, in anticipation of the creation of an amphibious force to defend the coastal approaches to Milne Bay and Port Moresby. Construction of the airstrip commenced on 8 June 1942, with Nos. 76 and 75 Squadrons arriving in late July. In late August, a Japanese amphibious force attacked in an effort to capture
741-634: The Gunbarrel Highway in June 1957, Beadell convinced a visiting dental surgeon at Woomera, Dr Bruce Dunstan, to give him a crash course on tooth extraction. Beadell had prior experience of the trouble that teeth could cause himself and his crew when days or weeks away from city facilities. This instruction and further assistance from an Alice Springs dentist, Ray Meldrum, equipped him with dental supplies and local anaesthetics sufficient for bush work. Beadell carried out his first extraction in March 1958 on Cyril Koch,
780-625: The Port Moresby Area under the control of New Guinea Force. Over the course of its existence, New Guinea Force was commanded by some of the Australian Army 's most notable commanders, including Sydney Rowell , Sir Edmund Herring and Sir Leslie Morshead . General Sir Thomas Blamey also commanded the force in 1942 while based in Port Moresby. At the outbreak of hostilities, Australia did not have forces in place for
819-450: The airfield, but miscalculated the number of Allied troops and were eventually pushed back into the sea and forced to retreat the following month. This was the first major defeat of Japanese land forces in the region. Kokoda: July – November 1942 In late-September, 1942, the Australian forces began pushing the Japanese back toward Buna. The retreat of the Japanese forces quickly became a rout, with many falling to starvation, illness and
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#1732780053466858-532: The defence of New Guinea and the New Hebrides , due to the League of Nations mandate under which the former German territories were administered. Small, mostly ad hoc units of lightly trained men were spread across the region. The Australian Government made the decision to move small units to strategic locations to assist the defence. This included elements of the 7th Division , consisting mainly of men from
897-493: The environment, as well as Australian attacks. Buna–Gona: November 1942 – January 1943 After a disastrous start by the inexperienced and inadequately trained US 32nd Infantry Division, the advance was restarted by the Australian 7th Division, with Gona falling in December 1942, Buna in January 1943, and Sanananda (between the two larger villages) later that same month. Wau: January 1943 Despite achieving tactical surprise by approaching from an unexpected direction, after
936-643: The pressure around Salamaua, in early September they launched an airborne assault on Nadzab (see below) , and a seaborne landing near Lae (see below) , taking the town with simultaneous drives from the east and north-west. The Salamaua garrison withdrew, and it was captured on 11 September 1943, while Lae fell shortly afterwards on 16 September. Battle of Mubo: March - July 1943 Landing at Nassau Bay: August 1943 Landing at Nadzab: September 1943 Landing at Lae: September 1943 Overview As per GHQ SWPA Operations Instructions No.15, Section 9, dated 6 August 1942 (reproduced here in full): 9. The mission of
975-578: The project was conducted by the Director of Military Survey and Officer Commanding 5 Aust Field Survey Company AIF in 1946. The survey detachment of ten men, under the command of Major Lindsay Lockwood who had conducted a detailed survey reconnaissance in 1946, moved in March 1947 to 'The Pines' area in what became known as the Woomera area. There they started an Army program of topographic mapping which continued until 1953, when responsibility for such surveys
1014-578: The suggestion of a school friend, Beadell joined the 1st Burwood Scout Troop where he met the scoutmaster John Richmond, who was to have a major influence on Beadell's life. Richmond had served in the army during World War I, and was employed as a draughtsman and surveyor for the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board in Sydney. Between 1931 and 1941, Beadell spent most weekends on bush survey trips with other scouts and Richmond, camping and searching for old survey marks. He learnt about
1053-623: The survey section, renamed the 8 Aust Field Survey Section AIF in January 1943, for thirteen months. Most of 1943 was spent in the Milne Bay locality. It was here that Beadell developed his artistic skills by watching army topographical draughtsmen, whose job it was to draw maps from information supplied by surveyors. He was transferred to the 2 Section 6 Aust Topographical Survey Company AIF in Australia, returning to Sydney in November 1943 for
1092-525: The task. When that assignment was completed in November, he was asked once more to waive his discharge, as another project was in the making. The British and Australian governments had decided to build a rocket testing range in outback South Australia. He volunteered to be part of an Army survey team for that project, being transferred to the 5 Aust Field Survey Company, a 4 Military District Detachment, in February 1947. The initial survey reconnaissance for
1131-433: The technical aspects of astronomical sightings and how to use a theodolite . In 1938 with a group of six scouts, Richmond took Beadell to Lord Howe Island where they took star sightings and determined that the mapped position of the island was out by about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in latitude. Beadell finished his formal education at Sydney Grammar School in 1939. He went directly to a temporary surveying position with
1170-412: The territories of Papua and New Guinea. In August 1942, HQ I Corps was transferred from Queensland to Port Moresby and on 15 August 1942 became known as Headquarters New Guinea Force (HQ NG Force). Corps troops and two brigades of 7th Division subsequently moved in. Upon arrival, the 21st Brigade , under Brigadier Arnold Potts , was dispatched to Port Moresby, from where they would help reinforce
1209-554: The time driving three ton trucks. In February 1942, he was transferred to the 2nd Australian Field Survey Company, and carried out contour surveys for army maps. In September 1942, he transferred to the Australian Imperial Force and was transferred to the 2 Aust Field Survey Section, the topographical survey and mapping unit of the New Guinea Force . In October he sailed for New Guinea serving with
Beadell - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-569: The water board in northern New South Wales, which had been arranged by Richmond. At the age of 18 in 1941, Beadell received his call up notice for the army, and was keen to enlist. The service period was specified as the length of the war, plus twelve months. His initial service in the Citizen Military Force was in the Australian Army Service Corps at Bathurst, New South Wales , where he spent most of
1287-539: Was a good caricaturist and watercolour artist. He drew cartoons of staff working at Maralinga and paintings of Aboriginal people who came to the Maralinga camps. The Beadell family sell books and memorabilia, and his daughter operates a bush tour business. Beadell Resources, an Australian resources exploration company formed in 2007 and mostly active in remote Western Australia, named after "The Last Australian Explorer". New Guinea Force New Guinea Force
1326-897: Was a military command unit for Australian , United States and native troops from the Territories of Papua and New Guinea serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II . Formed in April 1942, when the Australian First Army was formed from the Australian I Corps after it returned from the Middle East, it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944. General Headquarters Southwest Pacific Area Operational Instruction No.7 of 25 May 1942, issued by Commander-Allied-Forces, General Douglas MacArthur , placed all Australian and US Army, Air Force and Navy Forces in
1365-681: Was asked to rejoin the project and began further surveying as an employee of the Long Range Weapons Establishment in August 1950. A site for the secret testing of a British atomic bomb was selected by Beadell in 1952. A road from Mabel Creek to the test site Emu Field was built by him in March 1953, his first road. Beadell's best known road is the Gunbarrel Highway , named after the Gunbarrel Road Construction Party which
1404-491: Was assembled by him. He said he tried whenever possible to make the road as straight as a gunbarrel. The road was built with initial reconnaissance and survey by Len (not the case in 1958 when the survey reconnaissance from Warburton to Carnegie was led by the Supervising Surveyor (Geodetic) Australian Division of National Mapping, Mr HA (Bill) Johnson MBE LS FIS Aust ), usually alone, pushing through raw scrub in
1443-792: Was posted to the 3 Aust Field Survey Company AIF in Melbourne. Len opted to stay in the Army at the end of the Second World War. He was promoted to Acting/Sergeant in May 1946. The 3 Aust Field Survey Company AIF was tasked to provide survey support to a new scientific exploration in the Darwin - Katherine region of the Northern Territory. Len volunteered to delay his discharge from the Army for twelve months to be able to participate in
1482-537: Was transferred to the Department of the Interior. Len was promoted to Temporary/Warrant Officer Class 2 in February 1948, and elected to discharge in December 1948. Further work was required to select and survey launching pad sites, the centreline of fire for rockets, and the airfield. The site of the future village was chosen, allowing for approach paths of the runway and natural drainage. In November 1949, he
1521-424: Was well known, and he referred to many of his roads as "highways". The description stuck, and maps show the subject roads as highways, despite the reality that they have degraded to single lane unsealed tracks through the remote arid areas of central Australia. Following the Gunbarrel Highway, Len built further roads by the same method, naming most of them after his family. The Connie Sue Highway for his daughter,
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