Our People in VIC
Brett Lewis - Wangaratta lad tracks personnel in Timor
Wangaratta’s Brett Lewis is the pivotal cog moving Australian Defence Force personnel home smoothly from Operation ASTUTE in Timor Leste.
The former Wangaratta Secondary College student and son of Graham and Lyn Lewis, will spend the next few months coordinating the return of personnel from the tropical island nation where Australians have been serving since 2006.
He said his Timor Leste deployment had been a highlight in his 10-year Royal Australian Air Force career after joining with the goals of job stability, a bit of adventure and a “strong desire to prove some people wrong”.
“My main role is personnel tracking and this requires me to liaise with several different departments to achieve the best movement plan for deployed personnel,” he said.
“I also deal with any other personnel administration and during the first half of my deployment I was also given the role of weapons instructor for my section. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of fantastic people over the past four months, both Defence and civilian, and many have shown me new ways of looking at life as well as those who are passionate about their jobs,” Brett said.
“Some have even been giving classes in their own time to teach others about their work, for that I am thankful as I have learned many skills that I can apply back home,” he added.
Brett is set to return to Australia in the New Year as part of the transition plan that will see all Australian troops depart East Timor in late November with bases remediated for handover by mid-2013.
He was initially part of the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that ceased security operations on 22 November.
He said he was looking forward to heading home to spend some long, overdue quality time with his wife Tracey and his children Kyle (13), Dylan (10) and Tyler (7) and sharing some of his experiences from his first operational deployment.
“I saw some truly great things such as the Balibo history drive, a Black Hawk flight over Timor, a visit to Atauro Island, Melbourne Cup festivities on operations and the many orphanage visits,” Brett said.
“Although the ADF /NZDF are not in a combat role anymore, we’re still here helping the local community rebuild after many years of fighting. When the Anzacs walk through the back streets of Dili we have people coming up and thanking us – it is a pleasure to talk to the local community and listen to the stories they have to share about the ADF from previous years,” he said.
Brett has also filled his limited downtime with lots of exercise, enjoying the local cuisine, sharing a coffee with colleagues and taking up boxing training.
But with home in sight, he said there were a few things he was hanging out for.
“I can’t wait to cook my own meals, not sleep under a mozzie dome and finally have a shower without thongs on!” he said.