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ANZAC Day in ... Timor Leste
ANZAC Dat, OP Koru, Dili, Timor Leste
22 May 2007
The usual crisp April morning was replaced by a balmy Dili dawn as members of CJTF-631 gathered for ANZAC Day in Timor Leste. Camp Phoenix in central Dili was home to the main ANZAC Day service in Timor, with smaller services being held at most bases and outposts. New Zealanders and Australians from the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), UN Mission in Timor (UNMIT), the New Zealand & Australian Embassies and expatriate communities arrived to share the day with guests from the government of Timor Leste and the wider international community.
Slouch hats and lemon squeezers perched above Steyrs, adorned the sandbagged Cenotaph outside the main gate of Camp Phoenix. It reminded us all of the unique history shared by Kiwis and Aussies serving together on operations. The catafalque guard rallied to the sounds of bagpipes signalling the service was about to begin. Once the crowd had assembled, Sgt Lee Ansell (2 MP Pl) set the scene for the service with his description of the ANZAC Forces landing at Gallipoli. This was followed by the call to worship by the padres, before both the NZ and Australian Ambassadors spoke of the coming of age of the ANZAC nations and the bond still firmly in place with our soldiers working together supporting the people of Timor Leste. With a large international presence in Dili, we were privileged to be able to host members of the UN Police which included members from Turkey who also spoke during the service.
Dawn broke to the sounds of a lone bugler and relative calm descended over the world’s newest nation. Following the two national anthems, the Kiwis sang the hymn “Au e ihu tirohis” led by the ever talented SSgt Brent Pene and Maj Bill Keelan (V Coy, 1 RNZIR) to finish the service.
We adjourned for an extended breakfast, longing for the beer that never came. Cravings were instead satisfied by chomping on many an ANZAC biscuit. The service was described by many that morning as one of the most memorable ANZAC Days they had attended, with the singing by the New Zealand contingent being one of the highlights. As a fitting way to mark the occasion, COMJFNZ approved the wearing of the ISF Badge by the New Zealand contingent to reaffirm our ANZAC bond with our Trans-Tasman neighbours. Previously, the ISF Badge was only worn by the Australian Forces in theatre. By mid morning it was back to work as normal for OP KORU and TG GYRO on the streets of Dili.
This page was last reviewed on 25 May 2007 and is current.
