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Leading by example
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers is caught in a moment of reflection during a conversation
with ABC journalist Rachael Mealy. Brigadier Chalmers is the commander
of Combined Joint Task Force 629, which is assisting the Indonesians
with humanitarian work in the Aceh province following the Boxing
Day earthquake and tsunami.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers (right) keeps abreast of how the soldiers under
his command are faring as he talks with New Zealand soldiers serving
at the Anzac Field Hospital in Bandah Aceh. From left: Private
Luke Tamatea, Corporal Daiman Hatu and Corporal Phillip Johnston.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers (right) keeps abreast of how the soldiers under
his command are faring as he talks with New Zealand soldiers serving
at the Anzac Field Hospital in Bandah Aceh. From left: Corporal
Daiman Hatu and Corporal Phillip Johnston.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers looks out over the devastation of Banda Aceh as
he considers the immensity of the task still ahead to help the
Indonesians rebuild their devastated city. Brigadier Chalmers
is the commander of the Australian task force sent at the request
of the Indonesian government to assist the people of Indonesia
following the devastating Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers, commander of the Australian task force in Indonesia,
discusses future engineering works with the commanding officer
of the Australian engineers in Banda Aceh, Lieutenant Colonel
Ian Cumming.
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Brigadier
Dave Chalmers, commander of the Australian task force in Indonesia,
discusses the progress of engineering work with Lance Corporal
Quentin Morrissey, a member of the Australian Army engineering
task group in Banda Aceh. In the background is an Indonesian fishing
vessel lying on the rubble by the side of a road.
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By
Corporal Cameron Jamieson - filed 28 January 2005
From the
portside window of the Army Beech King Air commuter aircraft, you can
see the jagged green peaks of the towering mountain range that runs
through the north of Sumatra, gracefully sliding by to the sound of
the droning engines as the aircraft makes its way to Banda Aceh.
The view could easily hold you spellbound, but for Brigadier Dave Chalmers
such niceties must wait for another time.
He is busily reading the local and international press clippings in
a folder on his lap, keeping abreast of the broader picture concerning
the humanitarian aid operation in the Indonesian province of Aceh.
He is also keeping a close eye on events in Iraq - soldiers from the
7th Brigade, which Chalmers normally commands in Australia, are on active
duty in Baghdad.
The recent car bomb near the Australian Embassy injured one of his soldiers,
and his concern for the welfare of his troops, regardless of where they
are in the world, is well known.
Brigadier Chalmers is the commander of Combined Joint Task Force 629
(CJTF 629), Defence's assistance mission to the Government and people
of Indonesia following the devastating effects of the Boxing Day earthquake
and tsunami.
As part of Operation Sumatra Assist, he has more than 1100 personnel
from all three Services under his command.
He also has the heavy burden of ensuring that good relationships are
made and maintained between the Australians and the multitude of international
and local government organisations and aid agencies operating in the
region.
The job of being a task force commander requires a measure of tact and
diplomacy, which Brigadier Chalmers has in abundance.
Tall and fit, he presents as a confident man who knows how to get things
done with the minimum of fuss.
Perhaps part of his success is due to his ability to talk to anyone
with comfortable ease.
The unit commanders working for him in Banda Aceh appreciate how he
gives clear guidance and direction and then lets them get on with the
job.
"He's a nice man, but he leaves you in no doubt about who's in
command," Lieutenant -Colonel Georgina Whelan, the commanding officer
of the Anzac Field Hospital in Banda Aceh, says.
Lieutenant Colonel Ian Cumming, commanding the Australian engineers
in Banda Aceh, respects Chalmers' resolve.
"He is pretty definitive about what he sees happening, yet he allows
us the freedom to act within his guidance, which allows us to go about
our business," he says.
The unit commanders are also pleased about his concern for the troops
when he tours the area.
"He's not walking around with clean hands, making token handshakes,"
Whelan says.
"He's sitting down with them and having a brew and a chat, or getting
into the thick of things with the surgeons in the operating theatre.
"It shows me that he's truly interested in what we are all doing."
Brigadier Chalmers is a results-driven man who is aware of the conditions
his people are working in.
"My policy is less talk - more work," he says.
"We demonstrate what we are about by results and not by talking
about results.
"We have a very good relationship with the Indonesians, and part
of the reason we've been able to develop that relationship is because
they have seen us put runs on the board by helping people.
"The conditions here are difficult, but morale is really high -
it's the reward for doing the work that we're doing, so people haven't
focused on their living conditions.
"There have been some confronting sights, and we need to make sure
we provide support to people to help them work out any issues with the
scenes they have seen.
"But that's balanced by the number of people that we have talked
to and the people that we've seen for whom we've made a tangible difference
to their lives."
When asked to compare the difference between commanding an infantry
brigade and commanding a humanitarian relief task force, he pauses to
consider the question.
"I'm proud to command the 7th Brigade," he reflects.
"But we're really doing some good here.
"You see in the faces of the people who are working here that we
are making a difference, and that's a level of pride that's perhaps
one step above the work I do with 7 Brigade."
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