They were hit with the sight of about 800 fully armed troops, and teams of soldiers who scoured drains, garbage bins, hedges and shrubbery.

This month marks 40 years since the military occupation of Bowral and the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting at Berida Manor. 

The visit was sparked by a terrorist attack on February 13. 

Early during the morning a garbage truck stopped in Sydney’s George Street, outside the Hilton Hotel, to collect the garbage from an overflowing bin.

Two council workers were killed when they emptied the bin, which was hiding a bomb. A nearby policeman later died in hospital from his injuries and seven other were seriously hurt. 

Inside the Hilton the Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CHOGRM) was about to begin.

That afternoon the decision was made to reschedule CHOGRM in Bowral.

According to a history paper titled The 1978 Military Occupation of Bowral, written by Damian and Rowan Cahill “four army helicopters reconnoitred the Bowral township for two hours, landing on local sporting fields, and utilizing a private airstrip on the outskirts of town.”

The following day the military occupied the town.

For two days, the town was filled with army troops and in an article about the visit, the Southern Highland News likened the tight security to a “siege.”

“Between Bowral and Sydney, troops were strategically deployed along the Sydney-Melbourne railway line, with particular attention given to tunnels, bridges, overpasses and stations,” The 1978 Military Occupation of Bowral said. 

No announcement was made about the visit which sent the rumuor mill into motion around town. 

The Southern Highlands News referred to “tense, grim-faced soldiers”, and a sense of tension between troops and townsfolk which eased ‘later in the day’. 

Bowral’s mayor during the occupation David Wood, was briefed by an army representative around midday on Tuesday, February 14, after the dignitaries and soldiers had already arrived.

He was told that the town would be occupied for an unspecified length of time because of events in Sydney and that all care was being taken to ensure everyone’s safety.

The goings-on of the event later shocked Mr Wood, who was told his phone had been tapped and answers to national and international media questions had been monitored. 

The 1978 Military Occupation of Bowral quoted Mr Woods confusion at the situation. 

“It surprised me, I can tell you,” he said. “National interest comes before anyone else’s.”

Southern Highland News