Sombre Lament
Volume 49, No. 6, April 20, 2006

PRESS PLAY: Able Seaman Musician Marcus Salone sounds the Last Post during the Shark 02 Sea King Memorial Service held at Nias Island, Indonesia.

Photo: ABPH Brenton Freind

Memorial ceremonies held

ADF heroes
remembered

HONOUR: A RAN member of the catafalque party rests on arms reversed during the service in Canberra.

RESPECT: RADM Davyd Thomas, AIRCDRE I. Wayan Suwitra, CAF AIRMSHL Geoff Shepherd and CN VADM Russ Shalders salute during the sounding of the Last Post at the memorial service on Nias Island.

Photo: ABPH Brenton Freind

SERENITY: The memorial service held at Larrakeyah open air chapel in Darwin to remember friends and celebrate their lives.

PRAISE: DCN RADM Max Hancock gives a reading during the memorial service in Canberra

By Michael Brooke

The people of Australia paused on Sunday, April 2, to mark the first anniversary of the Sea King tragedy and to reflect on the sacrifices of the nine ADF personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty for their country.

The sacrifices of those who perished when their Sea King helicopter Shark 02 crashed while delivering vital food and medical supplies during Op Sumatra Asssist II, were remembered in memorial ceremonies in Australia and also at the crash site on the Indonesian island of Nias.

For the ceremony on Nias the ADF staged Op Peringaton (Indonesian for remembrance), which involved ferrying 28 of the deceased’s next of kin and some 50 ADF personnel to the crash site at Tuindrau village.

CN VADM Russ Shalders, AO, CSC RAN, CAF AIRMSHL Geoff Shepherd, and five members of 817 Sea King helicopter Squadron were among the ADF personnel who participated in the memorial ceremony.
CN acknowledged the importance of the Nias ceremony and the significance of the sacrifice made by the nine ADF members killed.

“Today we remember the tragic deaths of nine young Australians who died doing remarkable work assisting a community devastated by natural disaster,” he said.

During the ceremony, VADM Shalders and AIRMSHL Shepherd presented family members with service medals, including the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, which had been awarded to their loved ones during their service careers.

The ceremony also featured the dedication of a new memorial to the crash victims.
The stone memorial at Tuindrau Village honours the sacrifices of LEUTs Matthew Davey, Matthew Goodall, Paul Kimlin and Jonathan King, PO Stephen Slattery, LS Scott Bennet, SQNLDR Paul McCarthy, FLTLT Lynne Rowbottom and SGT Wendy Jones.

The memorial service was conducted by Navy Chaplain Mark Burton, of HMAS Creswell, and RAAF Chaplain Alan Neil, of 323 Combat Support Squadron at Townsville.

Chaplain Burton told the service that the loss of life highlighted Defence’s humanitarian role.
“The loss of these nine lives so tragically this time one year ago has caused so much emotion to friends and family – today we remember those who died,” he said.

After a Navy bugler played the Last Post and a lone piper the lament, the next-of-kin and ADF personnel layed wreaths at the base of the new stone memorial.

LCDR Angus Mitchell, Force Protection officer, JOC, told Navy News that the aims of Op Peringaton were to dedicate the new memorial, honour the crash victims on the first anniversary and help the bereaved families understand the important work their loved ones performed.

Simultaneously to the ceremony on Nias, services were held at Russell Offices in Canberra and also at HMAS Albatross (CMDR CAPT G.I. Ferguson), which houses 817 Squadron.

LS Shane Warburton and CPL Scott Nichols, who survived the accident, participated in the Canberra memorial service held for those family members unable to travel to Nias.

Minister for Defence, the Dr Brendan Nelson, attended a Naval Aviation service at Albatross.
“To the family and friends of those whose lives were tragically cut short just one year ago, today’s service represents an opportunity to reflect and honour the commitment and dedication of their loved ones,” Minister Nelson said.

“Today is a difficult and sad day. My thoughts and sympathies are with all members of the ADF and their families as we remember the service and sacrifice of those brave men and women who tirelessly and selflessly put the needs of others before themselves and served their country without question. We will remember them,” Dr Nelson said.
The remains of the nine were interred in a specially-constructed memorial at the Russell Complex in Canberra on September 2 last year.

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