Out of harm’s way
Volume 11, No. 49, August 10, 2006
By Capt Brendan Maxwell

In safe hands: CO Joint Task Force 629 Col Andrew Condon with WO2 Ian Sojan and WO1 Peter Russell who sailed many times with evacuees from Beirut to Cyprus. Sub-Leut Michael Scrase

Ridwan and Maria from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade assist Australian citizens at Larnaca Airport. Photos by Sgt Katrina Johnson

Helping hands: Bdr Travis Palin checks supplies as the Australian Government-chartered Thai Orient aircraft prepares to leave Cyprus bound for Sydney with Australians on board. Photos by Sgt Katrina Johnsonn

ADF members have been instrumental in the successful mass evacuation of Australians from Lebanon.

The 94-member Joint Task Force 629 deployed from Sydney on July 21 to Beirut, Cyprus and Turkey on Operation Ramp to support the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)-led evacuation.

Commander JTF 629 Col Andrew Condon said the taskforce provided specialist staff and support to conduct liaison and process evacuees. This involved evacuating more than 4500 Australians and 1300 foreign nationals from Lebanon.

“We hit the ground running in supporting the evacuation of Australian nationals from Lebanon as part of a coordinated Australian Government response,” Col Condon said.

“I think all Australians would be very proud of the work of the soldiers, sailors and airmen of the JTF in their efforts to assist fellow Australians.

“Australian evacuees seeing our troops in uniform and hearing a familiar accent has been comforting and reassuring for them.”

The majority of personnel were drawn from Army’s 17 Bde and 4 Fd Regt, and Air Force’s 386ECSS. Specialist staff included members from JMOVGP, 1HSB, 86 Wg, 1AFDG and 1 ATS.

JTF 629 conducted operations out of two locations with evacuation handling centres at Mersin Port in Turkey and Larnaka Port in Cyprus.

ADF personnel assisted Australian evacuees out of ports in Beirut and Haifa in Lebanon by Australian contracted ships. These ships operated in windows of opportunity, as arranged by Australian Government organisations in consultation with the Israeli Defence Force. C-130 Hercules then transported the evacuees from Larnaka to regional transport hubs.

The experience for all members of JTF 629 was very different from previous operations, as described by Bdr Travis Pallen, 4 Fd Regt. “I have been to Timor twice and the Solomon Islands and we have always been helping people from other countries, but this time we were helping other Aussies, so it really meant a lot to all of us,” he said.

Pte Natalie Fontana, a medic with 1HSB, also found the experience of assisting fellow Australians to be a rewarding experience.

She said the first boat trip from Beirut to Turkey as part of the contracted ships transporting Australians out of Lebanon, saw most of the 300 Australian evacuees vomiting because of the rough seas endured.

“On this first trip we were so busy with all these people vomiting, then a girl with low blood-pressure was so tired that she nearly fainted on me mid-sentence and then an old lady had an epileptic convulsion.

We had such a good crew of ADF people on that boat that we banded together and it just worked,” she said.

Pte Fontana said although the experience was exhausting, her section was pleased it could help fellow Australians in need.

WO2 Ian Sojan, 10FSB, boarded a chartered Greek passenger liner in Beirut to assist evacuees.

“My second trip was very eventful with a man with a heart condition who did not have his required medication, a blind passenger and one mother of two small children who had her eyes rolling back in her head out of exhaustion and stress,” he said.