PM
visits Manoora
By
LEUT Chris Woods
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Prime
Minister John Howard with ABCIS Nicki Palmer and ABBM Kim
Nicholades during the morning tea held in HMAS Manoora’s
hangar. Photo: LSPH Dave Connolly
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HMAS
Manoora’s (CMDR Martin Brooker) ship’s company received
high accolades for their support to the Regional Assistance Mission
to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) from Mr John Howard during the Prime
Minister’s whistle stop visit to Honiara on August 25.
After being greeted by the CO, Mr Howard addressed the ship’s
company.
“It’s a great ship,” he said. “The ship’s
company and those associated with it have brought enormous credit
to the Royal Australian Navy and enormous credit to the Australian
Defence Forces.”
Mr Howard said that Australia was very proud and very impressed
by the effectiveness, the professionalism and the demonstrated
effect of what has occurred in the Solomon Islands over the past
few weeks.
“We have worked with our friends, with the New Zealanders
and with the Fijians and with our friends from Papua New Guinea
and Tonga. It’s been a combined effort and an act of friendship
extended to the people of the Solomon Islands at their request
and at their invitation.”
The Prime Minister said that due to RAMSI’s efforts Solomon
Islanders feel safe enough to go out at night, let their children
walk to school unaccompanied and enjoy ordinary living.
“That is a very important reward for all of us”, he
said. “And most particularly for the men and women, many
of whom are assembled here today who have been responsible for
the intervention.”
Mr Howard ended his tour after calling on the Solomon Islands’
Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kamekeza and his Cabinet for talks.
Whyalla
vital in SI
By
LEUT Chris Woods
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Local
Solomon Islanders gather with personnel from Manoora after
a friendly game of touch rugby.
Photo: LSPHDave Connolly.
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HMAS
Whyalla (LCDRMark Leach) and the other maritime elements of the
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) have been
playing a vital role spreading the news about the gun amnesty
to remote communities.
HMAS Whyalla’s crew was augmented by a member of the Participating
Police Force, SGT Mark Holmes to conduct boardings in the Shortland
Islands region near the border between SI and Bougainville.
Whyalla’s task was to visit as many isolated villages as
possible and inform the locals about RAMSI’s aims and that
all illegal weapons must be handed-back before the deadline of
August 21.
A shore party consisting of SGT Holmes and five RAMSI members
landed at a village on the southeast shore of Kamaleai Bay, Shortland
Island. The objective of the visit was to assess the level of
understanding among the local population since newspapers and
radio are virtually non-existent so far from Honiara.
Often the villagers took the visit by Whyalla as an opportunity
to hand-back weapons. While visiting Araba the RAMSI personnel
received a bolt action .22, magazine and power scope.
The chief of Araba village, Yotaba, said that his village used
to trade in fish with markets in Bougainville but had to stop
because of violence. The chief was keen to show the population
of the island that the RAMSI personnel were here and said that
there had been no recent incidents of violence.
HMAS Whyalla has also conducted a number of boardings in search
of weapons or other contraband being ferried to or from Bougainville.
Most of the vessels in the area are canoes and powered banana
boats used for fishing and ferrying people.
Whyalla intercepted a number of these craft, but no weapons were
found. RAN stickers were given to many of the inspected vessels
to place on their outboards to assist in identifying local vessels.
HMAS Whyalla’s initial visits to other islands netted a haul
of 30 weapons, mostly homemade .22s.
HMAS Hawkesbury is now also on patrol.
