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13 March 2007
Landguards Bluff, near Wanganui, resembled downtown Honiara on Sunday as the NZ Army contingent bound for the Solomon Islands conducted their final exercise before they deploy later this month.
The 43-strong contingent includes 32 Territorial Force soldiers from 2 Auckland and Northland Battalion Group, and 6 Hauraki Battalion Group.
They will replace the 10 Regular Force and 34 Territorial Force soldiers from 2 Canterbury Nelson Marlborough and West Coast Battalion Group and 4 Otago and Southland Battalion Group, who are currently serving in the Solomon Islands.
Contingent commander Major Tausia Tarsau says the platoon group was looking forward to putting their training into practice during their four-month deployment.
“We have been training hard for a long time now and it will be great to see how it all comes together. The Kiwi soldiers serving in the Solomon Islands at the moment have been doing a great job and we want to build on that work.”
Signaller Gemma Dunford, of 2nd Signals Squadron, will provide radio communications support to her section during their security patrols through Honiara. She expects the deployment will be a “real eye opener”.
“I don’t think you can fully appreciate the small things you take for granted in New Zealand until you travel somewhere where even clean drinking water can be hard to find.”
Private Teejay Samuel, of 6 Hau Bn, will be patrolling Honiara and assisting with external security at Rove prison. He hopes the experience gained during his deployment to East Timor in 2001, with the Regular Force, will come in handy in the Solomons.
“The heat in the Solomon Islands will be a lot like Timor, as will the presence of crocodiles and snakes”, says PTE Samuel. “I'm looking forward to experiencing a new set of customs and learning to communicate with the Solomon Islanders in Pidgin.”
PTE Ray James, of 3 Auck North Bn, says he'll miss his wife and two boys, but is looking forward to experiencing a different culture, and making a difference.
“It's going to be very different from my job as an automotive glazier but my training in the Territorial Force and the intense pre-deployment training has me more than ready”, PTE James says.
See Army News Article "Solomons Diary" for more
This page was last reviewed on 10 November 2008 and is current.
