Vic: Hundreds of troops celebrate return from East Timor

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2000
Vic: Hundreds of troops celebrate return from East Timor

By Simon Johanson

MELBOURNE, April 8 AAP - Hundreds of troops and their families celebrated their return
from East Timor at a Victorian Government welcome-home ceremony today.

Army, Navy and Airforce personnel gathered on the sunlit gardens behind Melbourne's
Parliament House for a festive barbecue with Premier Steve Bracks and other parliamentarians.

Mr Bracks told the gathered troops, force commanders, their families and friends that
they occupied a special place in the hearts of Australians.

"I'm very pleased to see that we have a family day here, recognising and celebrating
what you did. A successful overseas effort, one which we can hold our head up very high
in Australia, one which we are very proud of," he said.

Logistics Commander with the East Timor forces Colonel Grant Cavenagh said the East
Timor operation was the biggest deployment of troops since World War Two.

"This was a rapidly executed Australian-led, multi-national operation that had a difficult
mission to achieve: to restore peace and security to East Timor and to facilitate humanitarian
assistance," he said.

Warrant Officer Brad Dunn said the barbecue - with band music and children playing
in an inflatable castle in the background - was an ideal opportunity to catch up with
other troops.

Officer Dunn, sent to East Timor with the first round of troops, said the men on the
ground showed incredible discipline.

"There were times when they could have just started shooting, but they didn't, they
held back and were probably braver by not shooting," he said.

Another soldier, Corporal Jodie Bowman, said she was shocked on arrival in East Timor
at the devastation caused by the militia but amazed at the joy local people expressed
at the troop's arrival.

"They didn't care whether they were fed or clothed. To be able to walk down the street
not in fear was a whole new life for them," she said.

"The people were just amazing, you know, smiling all the time, they were so happy we
were there," Corporal Bowman said.

AAP sj/bdm

KEYWORD: TIMOR TROOPS

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