Our People in VIC
Lieutenant Daryl Batchelor
Normally based in Darwin with the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Batchelor has deployed to Timor on Operation Astute, the Australian Government’s effort to help restore peace in our troubled northern neighbour.
Daryl, 24, is a platoon commander with the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) and we caught up with him at a vehicle check point high in the hills above Dili, doing his bit to assist the ISF’s mission of stability and security support for the Timor-Leste and UN police.
“We’re screening the traffic here for ‘persons of interest’ – that is, people wanted for questioning by the civilian and UN police. We’ll also search the vehicles for illegal weapons and equipment if necessary,” Daryl said.
“Vehicle checkpoints are an effective way of controlling entry into or exit from a location, particularly here in Timor where there are very few roads through the mountainous interior.”
“We really need to be mindful of the potential anxiety of the Timorese people in these situations as well. It must be pretty nerve-wracking for them to be removed from a group by a soldier and questioned, so we try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. At the end of the day we’re here to help them.”
This is Daryl’s first operational deployment since joining the army five years ago and he has only a couple of months remaining in the country before he’s reunited with his partner Brooke Whittaker in Darwin, and his mum Carmel and brothers Luke and Paul in Melbourne.
Daryl is one of about 1000 Australian Defence Force personnel currently serving in Timor-Leste on Operation Astute.
The operation is part of the Australian Government's response to a request from the Government of Timor-Leste to assist in bringing stability, security and confidence to the Timorese to allow them to resolve their differences democratically and peacefully.