A RAAF Caribou lands at Maliana in the wet season.caption

While many of us have enjoyed a relaxing break over Christmas, the hard work hasn't stopped for the men and women who are maintaining the RAAFs' longest continuous operational flying deployment since the Sinai contingent in the 1980's.
As East Timor moved into its monsoon season, the Caribou aircraft and personnel that make up 86WG DET C prepared for their second Christmas 'in country'.

Aircraft and personnel from 38 and 35 Squadrons arrived in East Timor in October 1999 with INTERFET. RAAF Caribous have been transporting people and cargo throughout East Timor ever since, continuing their work long after the excitement of those early days faded from popular memory.

They have flown about 2000 hours and carried thousands of passengers and tonnes of cargo in a country where road travel is slow and dangerous.

The 'workshop' at Dili airport.

Maintenance personnel continue to work from a tent flightline, servicing their aircraft in the open. Other staff contend with phone lines that don't work, uncertain supply lines, and a power system that is unstable at the best of times.

Ground staff do six month long 'tours', while many aircrews have finished their third rotation (currently two months long).

Despite working and living with the same people for extended periods under austere conditions, morale is high and the detachment is achieving high serviceability rates.

LACW Carrin Nicholls shares lollies with Timorese children.

Because the detachment is only made up of 28 people of all ranks, they get to know each other to an extent that is seldom seen in a 'normal' working environment. The lack of entertainment has seen a renewed interest in physical exercise by some members of the detachment, while others make the 'nun run' to the orphanage at Dare a regular event.