ANZAC Day Thoughts From Timor Leste
By Capt Kevin Keat MNZM, RNZN, Deputy Commander International Stabilisation Force
Kia Ora and a hearty g’day from the hot and humid climes of Timor Leste where some 800 Australian (Op ASTUTE) and NZ (Op KORU) service personnel are serving as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF). I’ve not long had the privilege of being the Deputy Commander ISF and some of you might empathise with the trepidation I had before arriving in Timor, given that as a Kiwi naval officer this was to be my first land-centric Mission.
My first briefing on arrival was from an enthusiastic and clearly competent Australian Army Major – his power point was exceptional…but it didn’t allay my fears as I had no idea what the symbols and abbreviations and general Army ‘speak’ meant – indeed I thought he may’ve been briefing me in Tetun (a local language). And yet, despite my obvious ignorance and no doubt my presenter’s amusement, I have to say I did not feel uncomfortable – though I’d never been to this promising, developing country before there was a level of cosy familiarity. I knew I was among friends, albeit friends that I didn’t know by name, friends that I had never met.
From day one I have been reminded of what we ‘Tasman Twins’ know to be the ANZAC spirit. The good-humoured rivalry and banter, the courage and comradeship, the resourcefulness and ingenuity, the compassion and fervour, and the commitment to our shared values are highly evident.
The ISF is well equipped and trained for its mission here in Timor Leste but the greatest capability is delivered through its people and their desire, indeed need, to ‘make a difference’ for all the right reasons. Every day the men and women, your sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, extended family and friends exemplify what our forefathers established as the ANZAC spirit. Generations of Kiwis and Aussies have grown up without the misery and horror of war – our gratitude for that is reflected in the honouring, remembrance and reflections of ANZAC Day.
Just as communities in our respective countries will gather on 25 April to remember and honour the service and sacrifice of our forebears so shall we here in Timor, and I know that in the moments of quiet reflection our thoughts will also turn – even more than normal - to the family and friends we are separated from. And that brings me to the final element that is ‘the ANZAC’: the sense of family. Most of the first ANZACs were ordinary people drawn from all walks of life and the impact of casualties on communities around Australia and New Zealand was devastating. That shared, collective grief translated naturally into recognition of the tragedies and losses of individual families.
It is family that gives us purpose, strength and belonging, and though we’re physically separated our families are always in our thoughts and hearts. Though by no means an adequate substitute it is clear to me already that the Kiwi and Aussie servicemen and women here in Timor Leste are truly ANZACs, and as such the ‘F’ in ISF could easily and justifiably mean ‘Family’.
Ka kite ano (Maori) – Atelogu (Tetun) – See you later.
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