More Defence news: 06 October 2008 - 12 October 2008
| Private David Fisher arrives home | Release of the Report into the Death of Signaller McCarthy | Sea King revs up at Bathurst | President Ramos-Horta farewells East Timor Battle Group 4 | NSW Governor Appointed Honorary Navy Commodore | Farewell For Middle East Task Force Command Group | |
Private David Fisher arrives home
10 October - Thirty-nine years after he was lost on operations, the remains of Private David Fisher have finally been brought home to Australia. Private Fisher, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), was lost on 27 September 1969, when he fell from a rope suspended from a helicopter during a ‘hot extraction’ of his patrol. An immediate search was conducted by the helicopter, followed by air and ground searches, but no trace of Private Fisher was found. His remains arrived at RAAF Base Richmond in Sydney today, aboard an RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft. Private Fisher’s remains were accompanied back from Hanoi in Vietnam by members of Private Fisher’s family, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, the Hon Warren Snowdon MP, and Special Operations Commander, Major General Timothy McOwan. A ‘ramp ceremony’ was held at Richmond, where Private Fisher’s casket was carried by an honour guard made up of members of the SASR, before an honour guard comprising SASR veterans and Commandos from 4th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. Private Fisher is the last of four Australian Army soldiers, lost on operations during the Vietnam War, to be brought back home. |
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Release of the Report into the Death of Signaller McCarthy 10 October – Yesterday, the Vice Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General David Hurley released the Inquiry Officer’s Report into the death of Signaller Sean McCarthy in Afghanistan on 8 July this year. Lieutenant General David Hurley said, “Signaller McCarthy was an elite soldier, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment, who was serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan.” The Inquiry Officer’s Report found that Signaller McCarthy died from massive wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated under the Long Range Patrol Vehicle he was travelling in. The Inquiry Officer found that the Aero-Medical Evacuation process was conducted within timings specified by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and agreed to by Australia. The Inquiry Officer also found that no equipment, personnel or process contributed to Signaller McCarthy’s death. More: Media Release | Audio |
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Sea King revs up at Bathurst The aircraft, from 817 Squadron, based at Nowra, will perform a number of circuits around the track over the weekend. The Sea King is powered by two Rolls-Royce Gnome gas turbines, producing a combined output of 2800 shaft horsepower – more than four V8 Supercars combined. Weighing in at 9.5-tonnes, the Sea King can travel at up to 230 kilometres per hour and has a range of over 900km. It can be armed with a 7.62mm machine gun and can pick up loads heavier than a V8 Supercar via its underslung cargo hook. The Sea King is Navy’s workhorse. Able to operate at day or night, in bad weather, at low level over land and sea, the Sea King performs missions including transporting personnel and equipment, search and rescue, and detection and tracking of potentially hostile ships. |
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President Ramos-Horta farewells East Timor Battle Group 4
10 October – President of East Timor, Mr Jose Ramos-Horta, was the guest of honour at a farewell parade for members of East Timor Battle Group 4 (ETBG-4) at Timor Lodge in Dili today. While attending the parade, Mr Ramos-Horta presented Battle Group members with the Australian Service Medal. He also presented three Joint Task Force 631 Commendations, and honoured ETBG-4 with a Timorese tais (scarf) as a token of his appreciation for its efforts. “The Australian relationship is of extreme importance to Timor-Leste,” Mr Ramos-Horta Said. “In 2006 we went to our friends for assistance and you promptly came. You can leave Timor-Leste leaving behind a country more peaceful and stabilised – there are smiles on peoples’ faces that were not there in 2006.” The 700-strong Australian and New Zealand ETBG-4 deployed to East Timor in April 2008. ETBG-4 commander Lieutenant Colonel Wade Stothart transferred responsibility to ETBG-5 on 4 October 2008. |
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NSW Governor Appointed Honorary Navy Commodore
The appointment was made by the Acting Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas AM CSC RAN, at a ceremony held at HMAS Watson on Sydney’s South Head. Speaking after the ceremony, Rear Admiral Thomas said, “It was a great honour that I was able to appoint Her Excellency as a Commodore in the Royal Australian Navy”. “This appointment recognises the strong historical links between the RAN and the Governor’s office and we are delighted she has accepted our offer to become an honorary RAN Commodore.” The historical precedent of honorary rank system stems from Britain in the late 17th Century: Gentry were granted rank to allow them to ‘serve the crown’. More: Image gallery |
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Farewell For Middle East Task Force Command Group
CTF 158 is being led by Commodore Bruce Kafer AM, CSC, RAN. The team’s farewell was held at HMAS Kuttabul and was also attended by Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, AM, RAN. Task Force 158 comprises assets from Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Iraq. The Commander CTF 158 is one of the most senior Coalition Navy appointments in the Middle East Area of Operations and Commodore Kafer will be in command of around 800 personnel. More: Media release | Image gallery |
