The force to be reckoned with
The third Tour de Force to hit Honiara attracted crowds like never before in a major Solomon Islands event. Flying Officer Fiona Harris reports.

Actress and model Annalise Braakensiek and flight engineer FSGT Glen Palmer have a laugh on the flight deck of the C-130 transporting Tour de Force members to the Solomon Islands.

Photos by SGT John Carroll

AS DAWN broke over RAAF Base Townsville on July 20, a sleepy-eyed contingent of performers boarded a Hercules bound for the Solomon Islands for the third Tour de Force to the region.

Indigenous supergroup Yothu Yindi joined comedian Chris Franklin, model/actress Annalise Braakensiek, the Royal Australian Navy Band and the Australian Federal Police Rock Band, Short Notice, for a series of concerts to entertain the deployed personnel participating in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

Ms Braakensiek said that although she had known the tour would be flying to and from the country by Service air, she hadn’t quite known what to expect.

“It was a lot less comfortable than any aircraft I have ever flown on, that’s for sure,” she said.

“I was warned about it prior to departure, so I stocked up on some vegitarian snacks and a good book, so it wasn’t quite so bad.”

All the performers deployed on the tour had the chance to meet the aircrew during both flights.

“The crew on the return flight were so sweet; they saw how tired I was and kindly gave me the little bunk bed in the cockpit to sleep on.

“They all did a fabulous job and landed her like a dream.

“Although I am a frequent flyer, I am actually a very nervous passenger, so the fact they made me feel really safe on both trips is a feat in itself.”

Ms Braakensiek’s grandfather had served in the Australian Army and her father had served in the Norwegian Navy.
“They, as well as the rest of my family and friends, were all really supportive, particularly as [the tour] was for a good cause.”

A hectic program faced the entertainers in the five days they spent in the Solomon Islands. Upon arrival at Guadalcanal Beach Resort – home of the deployed personnel – they checked into their tent lines and were issued with a stretcher and mozzie dome.

On day two, Yothu Yindi performed for the students of the King George VI School in Honiara.

School Principal Mary Hana said this was the first time, to her knowledge, that an Australian indigenous group had come to the Solomon Islands.

“The students have read about the aborigines of Australia but haven’t seen or met any, so they were very excited to meet the band and see them perform,” Ms Hana said.

Yothu Yindi’s lead singer, Mandawuy Yunupingu, was the first qualified indigenous school principal in the Northern Territory. Performing at schools is something close to his heart.

“Education is very important to me, so getting out to schools and getting our message across to the children is something that Yothu Yindi takes pride in doing,” he said.

Back at the camp, the rest of the performers set up the stage for an open-air concert for the deployed personnel.
The commander of Task Force 635, Major Jon Heap, said the Tour de Force did a lot for the morale of troops.

“Certainly for the infantry platoons that are here coming up to the back end of their three-month deployment, this is a very good boost for their morale,” he said.

Dark clouds threatened to spoil the outdoor concert, but luckily the heavy rain stayed away. Short Notice opened the show, followed by the Royal Australian Navy Band. Chris Franklin provided the comic relief while also compering with Annalise Braakensiek.

Yothu Yindi was the main act on the night. Covered in traditional body paint, band members fused traditional Aboriginal music and dances with modern rock, a combination that has given them worldwide recognition.

There was no rest for the performers – who gave their time for free – with an early start the next day to visit some of the surrounding island communities.

Local radio stations had filled their airwaves with Yothu Yindi tracks in the weeks leading up to the community concert in Honiara. The word had spread around the island that the town grounds were the place to be on July 23.

Twenty thousand fans packed the park, even climbing the trees to get a good view of the performers who had travelled all the way from Australia.

Navy Band Musician Leading Seaman Jason Beach said the community concert was the highlight of the tour for him.
“To be out on the stage and see a wall of people almost as far as the eye can see was fantastic, it was a great buzz and something I will always remember,” he said.

With the exception of Yothu Yindi, this was the biggest crowd most of the performers had entertained.

Sunday night was going to be a casual jazz concert put on by the Navy Band at Guadalcanal Beach Resort for the ADF and police personnel, but after the Navy finished, Yothu Yindi decided that they still had some petrol in the tank and went one more round as well.

Early the next morning, tired touring party members headed to the airport.

As they strapped themselves into their seats and the doors of the Hercules closed, it was clear that everyone was exhausted, but no one would forget the friendships that were formed on yet another successful Tour de Force. .

 

 

 

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