‘Being sorry is not enough ... we can do better’
CA puts all commanders on notice after suicide investigation

Tax-free service in East Timor ends
SIGNIFICANT improvement in stability since peace enforcement operations began in 1999 means service in East Timor will no longer be automatically tax-free.

Croc '03 rolls into action
The Army’s heavy-weight firepower from Darwin-based 1 Bde thundered into Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) on Exercise Predator’s Gallop recently for 17 days of live-fire involving leopard tanks, medium artillery, APCs and ASLAVS, followed by a massive brigade advance.

Looking after your mates
What to watch for if you think any of your colleagues could be in danger of committing suicide.

Tertiary recruitment begins
THE first two candidates for Army’s Officer Tertiary Recruitment Scheme (OTRS) were welcomed by Lt-Gen Peter Leahy, at its launch at the University of Sydney on August 29.

VC laid to rest
4 Bde, Victoria’s own reserve unit that grew from the birth of 37th (Vic) Battalion, WW1 Australian Imperial Force, was represented by brigade members at a moving Victoria Cross (VC) ceremony at Wesley College in Melbourne last month.

Cryptic message for track star's brother
WHILE the new world 400m hurdles champion, Jana Pittman, is jumping hurdles and winning gold medals, her brother SCdt Ryan Pittman is jumping through the hoops at RMC.

Soldiers rescued from drowning
FOUR Australian soldiers in the Solomon Islands escaped a brush with death recently when they were swept into rough waters off Guadalcanal’s Weather Coast.

Army Nomad flies again
A COMPLEX recovery operation at the Army Aviation Centre recently worked through a string of contingency plans involving all possible options and tested the Army’s aircraft recovery capabilities.

Chapel turns 10
THE Soldiers’ Chapel at Kapooka will reach its first milestone in November when its 10th anniversary will be celebrated by two major functions.

Bushmaster rolls off factory floor
THE first production line Bushmaster was recently handed over to the Army, with CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy getting behind the wheel for a test drive.

Times have changed
A TOUR of the Army’s Ross Island Barracks in south Townsville recently brought back a sea of memories for WW2 landing craft veteran and visitor to Townsville, Jack Wood.

Home and hosed
THE SF Task Gp is back in Australia, no longer do the deserts of the Middle East reverberate to the sound of Australian rotary wing aircraft.

Army's part in Keke arrest
A RAPID unfolding of events in the Solomon Islands in which the ADF, as part of the RAMSI, has played a major role.

Pay in Solomons
CONDITIONS of service recently released for Op Anode listed the operation as non-warlike and provided entitlements for ADF personnel serving in the Solomon Islands.

CIMIC team deployed
Two years of hard work by a small and dedicated team within DJFHQ has paid off with the deployment of seven members of the Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) staff to the Solomon Islands in support of Op Anode.

Charlie handover
A symbolic event occurred on the East Timor border recently, with the hand over of Junction Point Charlie by Australian PKF, to an East Timorese-manned Border Patrol Unit (BPU).

International News in brief

CDF mourns peacemaker
IN THE wake of the UN Headquarters bombing in Iraq, CDF Gen Peter Cosgrove spoke with sad affection for UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Wonderful flying machines
Op ANODE has provided the first operational environment for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to be deployed with the ADF.

Guadalcanal remembered
Forty members of the RAMSI joined with US Marine and Solomon Islands veterans, Australian High Commission staff and other expatriates to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the battle for Guadalcanal on August 7, 2003.

PM praises Army's efforts
PRIME Minister John Howard, praised the troops and police stationed at Camp RAMSI for the success of Op Anode during his whirlwind diplomatic tour of Honiara on August 25.

Serving up national emblems
The UNMISET experienced a significant transition recently, with the departure of Singaporian Maj-Gen Tan Huck Gim and the arrival of Malaysian Lt-Gen Datuk Pahlawan Khairuddin Mat Saad as the Force Commander of PKF in East Timor.