DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE

Friday, 6 November 2009

Around 450 ADF personnel embarked in HMAS Kanimbla will arrive back in Darwin today, just over one month after departing for Padang to assist in the earthquake relief operation.

Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans says that while Kanimbla will continue on to Sydney, this will be the final stop for the 110 Army Engineers from the Darwin-based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment who provided emergency humanitarian assistance in the weeks following the disaster.

“These Sappers (Army engineers) were pivotal in both the immediate aftermath of the earthquake as well as the recovery phase,” Lieutenant General Evans said.

“They should be proud of their achievements. They have continued in their unit’s fine tradition of providing important humanitarian assistance to our neighbours in times of need, as have all our men and women of the Australian Defence Force who deployed for this mission.”

Also touching Australian soil for the first time since deploying to Padang will be Kanimbla’s Ship’s Company of around 260, the Navy health staff who contributed to the Joint Task Force health care team in Seigerringing and surrounding districts, the Sea King helicopter crews who provided air lift support into the affected villages, and soldiers who operated landing craft to ferry equipment ashore.

Kanimbla will remain in Darwin harbour for several days to unload stores and equipment before departing for Townsville and then Sydney next week.

Other ADF personnel who contributed to the operation such as the Air Force C-130 crew and air-load teams and the Army health teams, logisticians and headquarters personnel have now returned to their home units.

ENDS