Hamburger handover

From left: Capt Rodney Cocks, Capt Francisco Sousa, UNMISET PKF from the Portugese Battalion and Insp Nick Cowell, UN Police from the Merseyside Police Force, Liverpool, UK.

By Capt Rodney Cocks
UNITED Nations Military Observers (UNMO) provide their own food and accommodation from UN allowances.

For UNMOs living in Aileu, East Timor, Hamburger Hill has been home to many Australian UNMOs since the UNAMET times in 1999.

It was named by the American UN Police in the district.

At 1.2km above sea level the view is awesome and best of all there are no roosters to wake residents in the morning.

The hill has an Australian feel about it. As a former Indonesian Telkom site, it is still being used by the UN to house telecommunications equipment.

Hamburger Hill is now being handed over to the PKF and UN Police and therefore will no longer be able to be used as the Aussie UNMO accommodation. For those who have lived on the hill – certainly the end of an era.