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NZ soldiers “have served well”
5 September 2006
The New Zealand contingent cleaned up at a recent skill-at-arms competition held in East Timor.
Competing for a trophy presented by Land Component Commander, Brigadier Phil Gibbons, teams from New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia completed the course at Taci Tolu range, which is located about 10 minutes west of Dili.
The course consisted of an 800m run in Kevlar helmets and body armour, followed by a shooting challenge where participants were judged on their accuracy firing at water bottles and hexamine tablets placed on the range.
The competition was run in three sections: the first was a challenge between the COs and RSMs of the three national contingents. On the day, it was announced that the RSM team had won, but a formal protest by the Task Force Commander sparked a count-back and it was discovered that the COs actually won their section by one point.
The non-infantry section was represented by one New Zealand team and six Australian teams. The New Zealand team comprised soldiers from the RNZSigs and RNZALR. The team acquitted themselves well and came a close third.
The infantry-based sections were in competition for the trophy, with each country entering one team of nine. The New Zealanders were far superior in this section, taking an easy win over Malaysia, with Australia bringing up the rear. The official scores showed the New Zealand team had achieved twice the score of their Australian counterparts – a definite point of pride for the team who took part.
The trophy was presented to the winning section by the Task Force Commander, Brigadier Mick Slater of the Australian Defence Force. During his address he said, “This trophy reflects the strong values that we, as soldiers, carry throughout the world. New Zealand has served well, not just in this competition but throughout the operations here in Timor Leste. For what you have done since arriving here, I express my utmost appreciation.”
This page was last reviewed on 11 September 2006 and is current.
