Looking back, 2006 was a great year for Australian Portable Camps (APC). It saw APC break their own camp move record and set an industry best for relocation when they successfully relocated Camp 1 of the Dampier to Bunbury Gas Pipeline to Camp 3, a total of 950 km. It also saw the acquisition of four Mitsubishi Trucks that APC have adapted into fully enclosed mobile workshops used for remote mobilisation and demobilisation.

Finally, the Monarto Expansion started in 2006 and is well on its way to being operational in the New Year.

APC have been continually developing over the past year and have released several new room layouts into the field, including 2x2s - a donga consisting of two self contained apartments complete with double bed, kitchenette and bathroom/laundry. These units are perfect for couples or management, and are currently being used by couples at the Alcan Gove Project. The second of the new developments sees the return of luxury Cabins for management or onsite client representatives, which are currently on assignment at McMahon’s Blacktip project. The luxury cabins comprise an entire donga with a master bedroom and a single room as well as sitting room, kitchenette and bathroom/laundry. They are available with some cooking facilities, washing machines and TVs.

2007 is gearing up to be a huge year for all involved in the mining/pipeline/ exploration sector and APC is no exception. Before the champagne cork has even been popped for the New Year, APC will have received a brand new shipment of Generators from Italy, expanding its already impressive fleet with the addition of 40 Gensets ranging from 70 kVA right up to 1000 kVA. Not only will this provide additional support to the clients of APC, but there will also be a new specialised maintenance person for these units. Due to past difficulties regarding the servicing of generator units and the costly repairs this has caused, APC will now employ a full time generator maintenance person dedicated to the upkeep and scheduled servicing of all generators in the fleet.

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Now to pop the cork on the champagne bottle and propose a toast to Gino Martino and his crew of specialised personnel who have just completed a one day move for McMahon’s Blacktip Project. The harsh and hot conditions did nothing to dampen the spirits of Gino and his crew, which consisted of: Boris Binevski; Plumber Dave Murphy (Osama); Mark Scott; Plumber Robby Tieppo; Electrician Rick Fogarty; Electrician Brad McLeish (Mario); Truck Driver Gavin Macey (Spaz); Truck Driver Ron Scheid (Grasshopper) and Craig Monson as they pushed to completely move 66 Rooms in one day.

The rooms were vacated first thing in the morning, loaded and moved to the new location, unloaded and set up for the occupants to return at the end of the day. This handpicked crew is not all of the personnel at APC, but this move and the success of the Martino Family business just goes to show that all of the APC camp crew and its support staff are dedicated, hardworking and always deliver on time.