Where to base the SAS Company?
June 1957:
There now appeared the problem of where to base the SAS Company. Possible locations were Gan Gan, near Port Stephens, NSW and RAAF Rathmines, near Lake Maquarie, NSW. There was also consideration given to basing the SAS Company with the Airborne Platoon at RAAF Williamtown New South Wales. There was also political pressure to locate the SAS Company in Western Australia, although this option was not supported by the Director of Military Training given the cost and logistic effort required to conduct parachute training in Western Australia. Suitable basing locations in Western Australia were considered, including Rottnest Island, but eventually Campbell Barracks, located in a western suburb of Perth was chosen due to the availability of facilities in the post 1950s national service period. On 10 June 1957 instructions were issued to locate the 1st SAS Company at Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, Western Australia.
1st SAS Company Criteria
1957:
The following criteria were initially used to select personnel for the 1st SAS Company:
• Airborne Platoon personnel provided an initial nucleus, as they were already parachute trained;
• Volunteers were called for from all Corps in the Army; parachute qualified or prepared to undergo parachute training;
• All were to be of an 'appropriate' age and have undoubted medical fitness;
• Possess a reasonable level or standard of education, with a slightly higher level of aptitude than that applying to ordinary soldiers between 18 and 35 years of age;
• Have a good discipline record; and
• Be between 5 foot 3 inches (160cm) and 6 foot 1 inch (185cm) in height and weighing no more than 13 stone (82.5kg). (These limitations were due to aircraft exit door height and personnel parachute weight limitations).
During this early period the selection process was purely a paper process and some soldiers were allocated to the 1st SAS Company simply on compassionate grounds to enable them to return to their home state of Western Australia.