By
LEUT Chris Woods
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1ATS
personnel with their haul of surrendered weapons: (front)
Leading Aircraftman Scott McEwan, Flying Officer Adrian
Rodgers, Leading Aircraftman Aaron Reynolds, (back) Squadron
Leader Peter Noake, Sergeant David Kay, Warrant Officer
Ray Costello and Leading Aircraftman Troy Asquith. Photo
by CPL Sean Burton
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THE
seven members of the Joint Movements Control Centre from No. 1
Air Terminal Squadron working at Henderson Airfield in Honiara
got a bit of a surprise when they were handed 13 weapons and ammunition
by a passenger.
The Solomon Islander was a member of the National Peace Council
who had been on an impromptu amnesty visit to a nearby island.
When he alighted from the Solomon Islands Airline aircraft he
grabbed the first Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
representatives he could find.
Flying Officer Adrian Rodgers and his team of 1ATS movers had
an SLR, two shotguns and an assortment of .22 rifles to look after
until the police arrived to lock them away.
To date about 2500 weapons have been collected as a result of
the guns amnesty which is helping to restore peace to the Solomons.
PM
praises deployed personnel
By
LEUT Chris Woods
PRIME
Minister John Howard praised deployed ADF personnel and police
during a whirlwind diplomatic tour of Honiara on August 25.
“We were invited here as friends by our friends in the Solomon
Islands. I can say, speaking for the Australian community that
the country is full of admiration for the work that you have done
and I am sure that I speak for the communities of all the other
contributing nations,” Prime Minister Howard said.
“It’s not easy to transplant yourself from your home
environment. It’s not easy to win the confidence of the local
people, and that is only done if you have an appropriate mix of
authority and cooperation and friendship and from what I have
been told and it’s evident from what I observe, that this
particular force has been able to do that very effectively.”
He said although the mission had proceeded “without too many
undue incidents”, he appreciated the mission still contained
risks.
Controllers
guide UAVs
UNINHABITED
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being guided in and out of Henderson
Airfield in the Solomons by two air traffic controllers from No.
44 Wing as part of Operation Anode.
This deployment is the first time RAAF air traffic control and
UAV operations have occurred side-by-side out of an international
airfield.
Squadron Leader Andrew Watson, of RAAF Base Amberley, and Flight
Lieutenant Darren Olsson, of RAAF Base Darwin, are supporting
the four UAVs, being used for the first time in an operational
environment by specialist personnel deployed as part of the UAV
detachment.
During flight missions, SQNLDR Watson and FLTLT Olsson use normal
radiotelephony procedures to communicate with the UAVs, the only
difference being the pilot is located 200m away in a ground control
room instead of a cockpit.
On arrival or departure the UAV is treated like any other aircraft
except that the immediate surroundings are kept clear until it
has taken off or landed, ensuring unrestricted use of the runway
and surrounding airspace for a seamless mission.
This allows the UAV operator to concentrate on the primary task
without the added distraction of other aircraft.
While the air traffic control detachment is small in strength,
its contribution to the overall success of UAV operations is essential.
Constantly monitoring aircraft activity and reporting it back
to the UAV Liaison Officer leads to successful launch and recovery
missions.
Every
box counts
By
LEUT Chris Woods
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|
Flying
in by Caribou aircraft to the remote airfield of Atoifi,
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands personnel
Lieutenant Andrew Bridge, of Civil Military Cooperation,
and Flight Sergeant Craig Smith, of No. 38 Squadron, deliver
medical supplies to the local hospital’s head matron,
Hetty Asugeni. Photo by CPL Sean Burton
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VITAL
medical supplies have been delivered to remote communities in
the Solomon Islands thanks to a multi-agency distribution initiative
underwritten by AusAID.
Caribou
aircraft delivered 35 boxes containing two medical kits each to
the isolated villages of Kirakira, Atoifi, Afutara, Ferra Island
and Santa Anna, while Sea King helicopters from HMAS Manoora made
similar deliveries to Fox Bay and Viso on Guadalcanal’s Weather
Coast.
The medical kits containing much needed anti-malarial drugs, paracetamol,
needles and syringes are the first medical supplies many communities
have received since April.
The Civil Military Cooperation personnel working with the Regional
Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands orchestrated the complex
distribution operation.
Mr Ray Skinner, the Director of Pharmacy Services for the Solomon
Islands Health Department, said the medical kits were not just
everyday supplies.
“They are what is required to a have a viable health system,”
he said. “Each kit is designed to cover the primary care
needs of 2000 people per month.”
During the past tensions and the deterioration of the security
environment, management of the health sector has suffered. Many
of the supplies from previous attempts had gone missing.
Felistas Legunau, a representative of AusAID’s Community
Peace Restoration Fund (CPRF) working at Buala on Fera Island,
said her community was in great need. “I believe things will
be getting better. The medical supplies are very important for
the community and now that the troubles are over things can get
back to normal,” she said.
Geoff Miller, who is a primary care advisor with the AusAID’s
Health Institutional Strengthening Project, said his greatest
challenge was trying to match the demands placed with donor organisations
with grassroots community needs.
Mr Skinner said the air and sea drops were an interim strategy
with a view to restoring normal supply as quickly as possible.
“Also, there are plans to conduct further medical drops with
more targeted supplies depending on the needs of each community,”
he said.
Mr Mark Duncan, of the Health Institutional Strengthening Project,
said AusAID met most operational costs. The CPRF managed the road
transport of the kits from the Solomon Islands’ National
Medical Store to Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomons Island
personnel for transport to their final destinations.
