By
CPL Damian Shovell
When the last plane load of Australian peacekeepers departed Timor-Leste
on June 24, onboard were two Navy personnel who’d been privileged
to be a part of the last deployment of peacekeepers to the nation.
For the past six months, LEUT Andrew Hobbs, a Financial Adviser,
and POWTR Janelle Scrase, a pay representative, were among the
120 ADF personnel supporting the UN Mission of Support in Timor-Leste
(UNMISET) that ended on May 20.
Their departure was only days after Australia completed its final
official function of handing over the Forward Operating Base at
Moleana on June 13.
For LEUT Hobbs the deployment was his second to Timor-Leste after
deploying in the Interfet Headquarters as a linguist in September
1999, which made him one of the few personnel on the peacekeeping
mission to witness its beginning and end.
He said he saw first-hand the impact peacekeepers made to Timor-Leste
as he compared the destruction he witnessed in 1999, to Timor-Leste
today.
“I think you could be forgiven for driving around Dili and not
realising the town had been destroyed to the extent that it had
been. The people are confident, there are a lot of cars on the
roads, and there’s a lot of commerce there,” he said.
“It’s now virtually a normal community and I think [as peacekeepers]
it’s time for us to go, as the job of making this place calm and
stable is, I believe, done.”.
