I was looking at photos of SVN Landy 113-130 which was one of 2 Landys att. to Det. 1 Topo Svy Tp Nui Dat. It is a GS not a Topo HT.
But then this info caught my eye:
"
Army tactical symbols:
"The army likes its "tactical symbols" to depict unit locations and on 29 June [66] we commenced a further location plan of the 1ATF base area showing unit location with tactical symbols more or less based on the previous Nui Dat base plan but with more detail obtained from compass and pace traverses. Sergeant Dave King and Sapper Ron Smith became tactical symbol experts."
"
The 1st Australian Task Force shield:
"It was in July [66] that a small task came our way that in itself certainly had no tactical significance and was no burden on our draughting resource but which was not without its significance within the theatre and beyond. This was the design and of a 1st Australian Task Force "shield" for use on report covers and, as it turned out, Task Force documents of all types. I gave the task to
Sgt Dave King. Of course it had to feature a kangaroo and search as we would, we could not find a suitable shape for a kangaroo. I seem to recall that someone found an Australian penny in their trunk and the "penny kangaroo" was taken as a model. It might have been the Qantas flying kangaroo but I think not; I feel sure it was the penny.
"There was nothing particularly remarkable about the design; a simple shield featuring the then South Vietnam flag colours of red and yellow – a yellow shield with a red border – and the kangaroo in Aussie green leaping in full flight from left to right. One could also claim that the green and yellow were our own national colours although at that time Australia's national colours were blue and gold.
"Initially we could only reproduce the shield in black and white on the dyeline printer but it looked quite acceptable, presenting a clean, sharp image quite unmistakably Aussie. Some variations of the shield crept in such as a red kangaroo and green border but generally the design concept remained, as far as I am aware for the five-year duration of the Task Force involvement in South Vietnam. Some time in 1966/67 a metal version of the shield was made locally and fixed to a polished wooden mount (the Vietnamese were very good at producing this sort of thing). Large numbers were eventually produced and sold at a cheap price to our soldiers and others presumably. I heard at one point that they could be purchased in street trader‟s stalls in Vung Tau and Baria.
quoted from Det 1 Topographical Survey Troop's OC in SVN (66-67), R. Skitch.
http://rasurvey.org/Viet
