ADF troops wearing UN berets and caps patrol the streets of Dili in Timor Leste, c.1999. Photo: ADF.
A national commemorative service will be held in Canberra on Friday (20 September) to recognise the 25th anniversary of the Australian peacekeeping mission to Timor-Leste.
The service will cap off a week of events for ADF members and peacekeepers who deployed to Timor Leste in 1999 to quell unrest stoked on by Indonesian-backed rebel groups.
In response to the unrest, in its biggest deployment of troops since Vietnam, Australia led a multinational peacekeeping force. The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) and several United Nations-led missions stabilised the country as it achieved independence, and subsequently established itself as an independent and democratic country. The mission continued until 2012.
The week of commemorations kicked off with Australian Peacekeeper Day last Saturday (14 September) which saw the Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans’ Association gather at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial on Anzac Parade.
The event coincided with the 60th anniversary of Australian Police serving overseas on peacekeeping operations, and representatives from each state and territory’s police forces were in attendance.
On Tuesday (17 September) a seminar entitled ‘The pathway to peace and solidarity: Australian service in Peace Operations’ was held at the Australian Defence Force Academy.
The seminar featured former INTERFET leader, Chief of Defence Force and Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, and highlighted the veteran experience in Timor-Leste and while deployed on peace operations, ongoing connections and relationships established and strengthened with our allies, and the relationship between the ADF and the AFP and how they worked together to achieve a common goal.
The service on Friday 20 September will be held at the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial on Anzac Parade from 9:30 to 11 am, and will be nationally televised on the ABC.
Some 600 ADF and police veterans, families and officials including Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh are expected to attend.
Organisers have warned that parking is limited at the memorial and in nearby streets. Further information on the service is available here.
