ISSN: 2203-8507
April 2020
Edition 37
True Blue
Magazine
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE UNITED NATIONS & OVERSEAS POLICING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA
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True Blue
Magazine
The United Nations & Overseas Policing Association of Australia, (UNOPAA) is an Australian incorporated, non profit organisation whose members are both serving or retired Police Officers from Police Forces throughout Australia who have served or are serving with United Nations or AFP International Deployment Group (IDG) Peacekeeping Forces throughout the world! TRUE BLUE is posted to its members throughout Australia and worldwide to where AFP IDG are serving. Our magazine contains welfare, legislative and social information relevant to the well being and camaraderie of UNOPAA members who have, or are serving in Australia’s National Interest. Aims of the UNOPAA: 1. To maintain and foster the memory of UNOPAA members killed whilst serving with United Nations Forces or IDG. 2. To provide welfare, legal and financial support where and when appropriate to members. 3. To promote social occasions such as Reunions, etc., including United Nations and Anzac Day Marches. 4. To pursue and lobby industrial, legal and political avenues, when necessary in order to improve the welfare and industrial benefits to our members. We acknowledge the assistance of Countrywide Austral Pty Ltd, who, in conjunction with the UNOPAA, have made the publication and distribution of ‘TRUE BLUE’ magazine possible! Your financial contribution to the publication of our magazine is greatly appreciated.
Views and opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the United Nations & Overseas Policing Association of Australia, the editor, the publisher or printer. “True Blue” is published by Countrywide Austral Pty Ltd, Melbourne from funds supplied by advertisers in this magazine. Please support our advertisers and their products.
Rod Walker True Blue Editor Email: enidandrod@tpg.com.au Mobile: 0411 953 966
UNOPAA Contacts National President Mr Mick Travers APM Mobile: 0418 297 086 Email: Michael.Travers@afp.gov.au National Vice President Mr Rod Walker Tel: 0411953966 Email: enidandrod@tpg.com.au National Vice President Mr Dale Cooper RFD PO Box 7099 Karabar NSW 2620 Mobile: 0418 266 033 Email: UNOPAA@gmail.com National Secretary/Treasurer Mr Peter McDonald APM PO Box 253 Keilor East Vic 3033 Mobile: 0418 131 352 Email: vp14970@gmail.com Australian Capital Territory State President: Dale Cooper RFD PO Box 7099 Karabar NSW 2620 Mobile: 0418 266 033 Email: heldale.cooper@bigpond.com New South Wales State President: Mark Elm Email: markrobinelm1969@icloud.com
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True Blue April 2020
Contents 4 From the Editor’s desk 5 President’s Message 6 East Timor 20th Anniversary Reunion 8 I now know how royalty is treated 13 An old Canadian acquaintance from UNFICYP passes away 14 Menin Gate Last Post 16 Australian Federal Police Historian Retires 18 Bryan (Boxer) Archman 20 How ready is Australia for peacekeeping operations?
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22 Peacekeeping radio stations provide COVID-19 information to vulnerable communities in conflict-affected countries 24 UN asks 9 countries to delay peacekeeper rotations due to coronavirus 25 Why Peacekeeping Fails 28 UNOPAA 2021 20th National Conference Norfolk Island 30 Vale 32 Membership Renewal or Application 33 Merchandise
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Do we have your Email Address? UNOPAA maintains a membership database and communicates with its members from time to time by email. If you haven’t been receiving these communications, it may be that we don’t have your email address, or it is out of date. If uncertain, or it appears we don’t have it, please send your email address to the Secretary, Peter McDonald, at vp14970@gmail.com
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True Blue April 2020
From the Editor’s desk Well here I am, sitting at my computer writing this whilst in isolation. No – I haven’t got the dreaded COVID-19 virus but it’s better to be safe than sorry, so Enid and I have decided to isolate ourselves. It’s not much different to our normal retired life except we do miss not seeing the kids and grandkids or going out for the odd dinner or coffee and catching up with friends. To a degree, we have overcome not being able to physically be with the family by downloading an ‘app’ called “Houseparty”. It allows us to invite our family members to join a group ‘dial in’ and we all get to chat and see each other on our respective devices. It’s quite different having eight people connected at the same time and seeing our screens divided into eight segments with all their smiling faces and talking to us. You just have to set the rules as to one person talking at a time – the grandkids do get a bit excited and want to have their say all the time. Just love it. We have also been using the app to have virtual coffee mornings with friends. So, if you are missing seeing and talking to the family or catching up with friends, we suggest the Houseparty app might be the way to go. It’s free to download. With many of our members in their more mature years, it’s important to remember that we are part of the high risk group, so isolation is probably our best defence until this thing disappears or a vaccine has been developed. It’s also very important to get your flu shot and the pneumonia shot. Remember, if you are over 65, both of these are free. The pneumonia shot lasts for 5 years so no need to get it annually. This issue of True Blue is in electronic form only. This is due to a couple of factors. Our publisher, Countrywide Austral, is operating with reduced staff working from remote locations and advertising is very light on due in the main to the downturn in the economy caused by the pandemic. If you are reading this, then you would have been sent an email from Peter McDonald (UNOPAA Secretary/Treasurer) providing you with a link to our website and the
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electronic version of the magazine. If you know of a member who does not have access to the internet or emails and cannot access the electronic version of True Blue, let us know and we will arrange to have a copy printed off and sent to them. Ian Hardy has provided an interesting story on his attendance at the 50th ANZAC commemorations in Turkey in 1965. Our Vice President, Dale Cooper, gives an insight into his attendance at the Menin Gate Memorial Commemoration Service last year. Many of you would have met (or heard of) Mr Terry Browne, the AFP’s Senior Historian. Terry has assisted us many times over the years in setting up displays
With many of our members in their more mature years, it’s important to remember that we are part of the high risk group, so isolation is probably our best defence until this thing disappears or a vaccine has been developed.
for UNOPAA functions and events. I was privileged to attend Terry’s retirement dinner in February at the AFP College in Barton, ACT. Included in this issue is an article on Terry’s career with the AFP. I hope you enjoy this COVID-19 electronic issue of True Blue. Remember to isolate, social distance and wash your hands but most important of all – STAY SAFE. Until next issue
Rod Walker Editor True Blue
True Blue April 2020
President’s Message I sincerely hope that this special electronic edition of True Blue finds all UNOPAA members healthy and coping as best you can in this very strange and new world that we find ourselves in. I know those who are still working in a policing area are almost all consumed with dealing with COVID-19 and the things that the Federal and State and Territory governments have asked us to do to ensure we lose as few Australian lives as possible. Whilst just writing those words bring a sense of dread to me, I know that as Australians we are in a much better place than the rest of the world right now, and that the Australian spirit and resilience will see us through.
… I know that as Australians we are in a much better place than the rest of the world right now, and that the Australian spirit and resilience will see us through.
The UNOPAA has made some changes for dissemination of the True Blue magazine this year as our publisher Countrywide Austral has been severely impacted by these difficult business times and is unable to print our April edition. To have it made available to our members in electronic form is still a great result, and I thank all who have contributed and our editor Rod Walker for bringing it together again.
I know many of you would have just experienced a very different Anzac Day and have not been able to march or catch up with your friends and colleagues from previous deployments. Whilst that must have been sad, I hope that you were in some way able to talk to and catch up with those who have shared that unique experience of overseas policing. My thanks as usual to Peter McDonald, Rod Walker and Dale Cooper who continue to work quietly behind the scenes to represent the UNOPAA and arrange future events. My thanks also to Mark Elm, the newly elected NSW Branch President after their AGM in Sydney last month. Mark is now busy reinvigorating the NSW Branch. My thanks also to SA Branch President Gary Casey who, with Mark Elm and the other members of the Recognition & Awards Committee, are about to start to work with the AFP Honours and Awards team on a project to seek due recognition for UNOPAA members and others who have served in dangerous locations and performed brave acts. Please continue to stay safe and adhere to the sometime difficult requests and directions that are being made by our Federal and State Governments. I hope with the right expert advise every day, we are one step closer to moving out of this very difficult and unique time. The National Executive will continue to work to support you and in particularly plan for our 2021 National Reunion and Conference on Norfolk Island in October 2021. My warmest regards to all,
Mick Travers APM UNOPAA National President
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East Timor 20th Anniversary Reunion November 29, 2019, Melbourne Approximately 107 Victoria Police members served in East Timor through the IDG and AFP between 1999 and 2008. 2019 commenced the 20th anniversary year of deployments and was an opportune time to reflect on the outstanding contribution Australian Police made. It was fantastic to see a large turnout of 72 current and former AFP and VicPol members, their partners and supporters at the Mission to Seafarers where an outstanding night was had by all. As one of the major reunions of the IDG era, VicPol, AFP and ADF East Timor veterans and partners came together with interested IDG and UN mission personnel to de-brief this significant peacekeeping mission. Our thanks go out to the Department of Veteran Affairs who provided venue hire funding to ensure
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these events went ahead. Thanks also to Peter McDonald for arranging it. We also acknowledge the ongoing support of John Laird, President of The Police Association of Victoria, who provided funding support for the November reunion in Melbourne. The Melbourne reunion was a great mix of East Timor, Cyprus and IDG missions who all turned out to support this event. It was great to see the VicPolAFP-ADF members renewing old friendships – for many it had been a long 10-15 years between drinks. The reunion was a great success and a healing experience for many of our colleagues.
Source: S/Sgt Shaun Young POSA Newsletter December 2019
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Some old and bold were in attendance.
Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius (VicPol) addressed the gathering.
Di Young (Shaun’s wife) looked after the registrations and significantly assisted in the coordination of the event.
Acting Commander Paul Hopkins AFP Melbourne Office.
Senior Sergeant Shaun Young, President POSA (Victoria & Tasmania).
Alan Castle (Contingent Commander 2(a) Contingent to East Timor) immortalised on an AFP UNAMET poster.
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True Blue April 2020
I now know how royalty is treated Ian Hardy reveals his experiences when travelling to Turkey for the 50th Anzac Anniversary 1965 APRIL 25, 1965, THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANZAC LANDING AT GALLIPOLI I was stationed in Nicosia at UNCIVPOL HQ as part of the first Australian Police contingent to serve with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus when a home newspaper article told of the upcoming event in Turkey and that a number of Veterans of that campaign would be attending. As one of my great uncles had been involved in the landing I recalled some of the horrific stories he had told me years ago. I just had to see that. I went to a Turkish Travel Centre in Nicosia to make a few enquiries but at that stage had no idea if anyone else in the contingent would be interested. I asked about travel arrangements air fares, travel down to Gallipoli, accommodation there and a host of other things. The staff seemed quite interested in my enquiries and made a few notes. They said they would contact head office in Turkey and see what they could do to help me. Although I had no final details of costs etc, I passed the word around about the possibility of making the trip. Ernie White (VicPol) an Peter Birrell (NTPol) replied that they were very interested as they each had a grand father there and a fellow named Graeme Howard (NZPol) said he wanted to go. The news came back from our leaders that we couldn’t go because of the Political Involvement. I said that members of other contingents had gone to Greece and a letter home to our politicians might not be favourable to that decision. It changed. Upon return to the travel agency with a fairly firm number of four I was advised that they had been in touch with Ankara who had been in touch with the Government Ministry of Tourism and Information who were in charge of the affair and they had agreed to arrange accommodation and travel in Turkey and we would be responsible to pay for food and other expenses. I booked four seats with Middle East Airline to Ankara and on to Istanbul. On the flight was a Hollywood
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actor named Frederick March and when we got to Ankara there was a limousine at the bottom of the stairs waiting. Naturally I thought it must be for him, but no, a fellow in plain clothes came on board and spoke to me. “Are you the Australian Police from Cyprus?” “Yes,” I replied. “Please wait on board until the other passengers get off.” What is going on? When we got off – straight into the car. Over to baggage pick up then off to the city, no customs, no immigration. This fellow guided us around the city and on to the Mustafa Kermal Ataturk shrine and burial site which was guarded by a company of dressed armed soldiers, but we didn’t go in – just looked – it was huge. On to Police HQ, another huge building and into the museum where they had a showroom and lined the walls with figures of Police uniforms and the weapons they used going back hundreds of years – there were probably two hundred of them. Back in the car and off again for more of the modern city and then off to the airport, I brought up the fact that we were booked to go to Istanbul the next day, he said “No, today. Take your tickets back to Cyprus and cash them in. We have tickets for you today”. On the plane was Harold McMillan the ex British Prime Minister and at Istanbul was a car waiting at the foot of the stairs, surely, it must be for him. But no it was also for us. There was a guide, Tarshim Karacaby, and a driver. We took off for a quick tour of Istanbul on the way to our accommodation and I pointed out a very large building on a hill in the distance. I asked what that building was, and he replied, “The Istanbul Hilton Hotel.” “Oh, and where are we staying?” “There.” At the hotel the desk clerk handed out two sets of keys saying “That’s the key for Mr Hardy and Mr White’s room and this one for Mr Birrell and Mr Howard.” Tarshim grabbed the keys, threw them back and said, “These men are guests of the Turkish Government and will have suite each.” “Yes Sir.” And a suite each we got. On the way Tarshim said, “I’ll give you half an hour to freshen up and we are off again.” “Where are we going?” “You will see.”
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Left to right: Ian Hardy, Shengun Jockaye, Peter Birrell, Tarshim Karacaby, Graeme Howard, Jack Cannon and Ernie White.
We were picked up and taken to the waterfront where a ship was moored, the “Kara Dinez” (means Black Sea). On board was a Government reception for the visiting Anzac Veterans and when being introduced as guests of the Turkish Government we were admitted. There were Veterans everywhere, some in wheel chairs, some with walking frames, some on crutches and some with walking sticks, quite a lot of them and many, many other people. We got around and talked to many and one bloke inquired who I was and he said he was also a Victorian and knew many Police. As he talked I had the impression I had seen him somewhere before and when he mentioned a few names that I knew I took him even further. He was the godfather of my brother in law and was at my sister’s wedding some years before. His name was Hayden Ewart, that was worth a few beers. What a small world. Back at the hotel we decided to dine at the top floor restaurant, “The Haymarket”. Top floor, top prices. Oh well, only here once. Lovely dinner and top entertainment. Aretha Franklin the American singer, went for two hours, a great show. We charged up our meals to our suites to pay when we checked out. Next day we were picked up and taken to the Blue Mosque where we spent an hour of more admiring the tapestries and carpets and a host
of other things, very impressive. On to the Grand Bazaar with row after row after row of shops selling everything, including the Gold Market where golden objects were displayed with signs everywhere claiming all gold guaranteed by the Government. All were branded by their carat rating and prices, no bargaining. I was infatuated by a bracelet that I paid US$150.00 for and insured it in Australia later for $1500.00, my sister appreciated it but many years later it was stolen when her house was broken into. Take away lunch and then off to a film studio where we met an up and coming starlet named Shengun Jockaye who showed us around and explained things but as everything was in Turkish it was hard to follow. Next we visited the Topkapi Palace and Museum a very big multi storied building which commenced being built in 1453 and became the home of the Sultans and administrative headquarters, Court and Treasury of the Ottoman Empire over centuries. It would take days to see it all with its many pavilions for the Sultan, wives, concubines and eunuchs. The History of the place was amazing and the displays of jewelled weapons, clothing, head gear and other items and the collections of centuries of Ottoman and European treasures all around the place was impressive including a Chinese collection of very old celadon porcelain.
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True Blue April 2020
General Cevdat Soonay in the middle with me and his senior Officers.
We arranged with Tarshim to go out to dinner to a restaurant of his choosing with Shengun and that we were paying. It seemed to me that Tarshim and Jockaye were more than just friends. Back at the hotel for a few drinks we met up with Melbourne Herald reporter Jack Cannon who had met us in Cyprus when we first arrived. He came to dinner too. Next day off to Gallipoli, a long way, lunch at a restaurant and we arrived at a military xamp where we dined at the Officers mess, edible but just, and then off to bed. Next day up at 3.30am and off to Anzac Cove for our first view. It was pitch black at 4.30am with sunrise at 5.00am. There was a line of tourist buses and coaches about six miles long parked end to end on the side of the narrow road in and thousands of people assembled on the grass with their small
… the hills came into view with their rugged shape and heavily covered undergrowth and steep – very steep – inclines, and I, like many others, wondered how anyone could climb up there AND fight a war.
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tents and sleeping gear. There were a few lights in the reception area showing where all the formalities would take place. National flags were being raised, an Australian mixed service band was forming up and right up front a roped off area were hundreds of seats for the Veterans and visiting dignitaries. In the dim light could be seen a number of ships at anchor one of them being the Kara Dinez, closest to shore, and row boats surrounded it with men being loaded into them. Meanwhile, the seats were being filled with men in uniform from many parts of the world. High Commissioners and others all wearing medals and sashes and as it began to lighten, the hills came into view with their rugged shape and heavily covered undergrowth and steep – very steep – inclines, and I, like many others, wondered how anyone could climb up there AND fight a war. The veterans beached their boats and were assisted to get out onto the beach, some in wheel chairs, walking frames, crutches and walking sticks all helping each other. Some men holding each other, men with tears in their eyes, men pointing to various spots of the hills, men kneeling down and kissing the ground, others crying – a very emotional sight. The band played Australian and New Zealand songs and national anthems as the veterans took their seats. We were shown to the seated guest area for the ceremonies. Other guests and officials sat down and things began to happen, speech after speech, signing flags lowered to half mast not all in that order.
True Blue April 2020
“ONE DAY” stamped envelope with Post Office Cancellation dated stamp to prove it genuine.
At the completion of these ceremonies we were driven around the area visiting numerous cemetery sights with thousands of graves, all very well kept and again very emotional, monuments everywhere. Then we were off to Lone Pine for more ceremonies and speeches, too many to list, and into the restored trenches of both sides. Many trenches were covered in because of unexploded shells, but even so you could still pick up bits and pieces, cartridge cases, bits of broken rifles, broken bayonets, pieces of webbing, metal drinking mugs, broken metal plates and a host of other materials. However, signs were everywhere advising that you are not allowed to remove such things. Then onto the Turkish Memorial, more speeches, flags, bands and a Turkish Senior officer returned a trumpet captured during the battle and spoke of their admiration of the fighting spirit of the Anzacs, however, he said “but, we were fighting to defend our country.” There were many Turkish soldiers there of many ranks. At one stage a Turkish Officer came up to inquire if we were the Australian Police serving in Cyprus, and when confirmed he advised that the General would like to meet us. The General was General Cevdat Soonay, Chief of Staff of the Turkish armed Forces, who was standing aside with a group of other senior offices. I shook hands and introduced my friends who also shook hands with him. He inquired about how things were going in Cyprus and I replied a lot better than they were, that the violence had reduced considerably
Many trenches were covered in because of unexploded shells, but even so you could still pick up bits and pieces, cartridge cases, bits of broken rifles, broken bayonets, pieces of webbing, metal drinking mugs, broken metal plates and a host of other materials.
but we will see what happens. He inquired about the plight of the Turkish Cypriots in Xeros who were being blockaded by the Greeks and were all starving because they couldn’t get any food, medicines or other essential supplies in. I said “General, with respect, what about that submarine that comes in regularly with food, supplies and men?” “Oh, you know about that?” “Yes General, we do.” “Well how do you think things will turn out?” “General, you know ten times more of what’s happening in Cyprus and what’s going to happen than I do.” He smiled and nodded. I asked if I could have a photo with him, he agreed and all his officers jumped in. Into the car and off to Gelibolu (Turkish for Gallipoli) a small town on the Dardanelles where more
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ceremonies had been arranged outside the post office square. The Kara Dinez was moored at the shore. The veterans arrived by bus and took their seats in a roped off portion and whilst seated there a big tall grey uniformed Turkish guy with medals and braid inquired if we were the Australian Police from Cyprus (the word had obviously spread). He introduced himself with a long Turkish name (which I won’t attempt) as the Chief of Police in all the Gelibolu area. When asked how many men there were under his command he replied 15,000. How many police in Australia, although I didn’t know I said 18,500 (gotta go one better). “Are you the Chief of all those Police?” “No sir, Mr White here is, I am second in Command.” Ernie nearly chocked. He asked if there was anything he could do for us and as it was a Sunday and the Post Office was closed, I produced a “ONE DAY” stamped envelope and I wanted to get the Post Office Cancellation dated stamp to prove it genuine. He sent one of his men to get the Post Master and he obliged. Ernie presented the Chief with a Commonwealth Police jacket button, He was excited and ripped a button off his own jacket and gave it to Ernie. Ceremonies over we headed back to Istanbul and the Hilton. That night we had dinner again at the Haymarket and this time the main entertainment was Yehudi Menuhin, a world famous violinist, who played for about two hours. It was terrific. Again, we charged the meals to our suits and went bed. The next day we checked out. As the desk clerk handed us our bills I didn’t get to see “how much”. Tarshim grabbed them up and wrote on them ”Charge to the Ministry of Tourism and Information” and signed them, gave them back to the clerk then said “let’s go”. Graeme headed off to do his own thing but in the car on the way to the airport Tarshim said, “we have got just one more stop to make.” “Where?” “You will see.” We drove along the road beside the Bosporus River past many large houses and mansions, it appeared to be the elite area of Istanbul. We drove into a driveway and pulled up at this very lovely mansion and Tarshim said, “this is the home of Omer Dorman, he is the Minister of Tourism and information, he wants to meet you.” We were introduced and invited for coffee and cake and we sat down. He said, “I apologise for not spending some time with you but I have been extremely busy with
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Ian Hardy.
this Anzac affair representing the Government and meeting a lot of visitors and guests but what I would like you to do is to stay in Turkey for a week as my guests, stay here with me at my home here and I will show you my Turkey.” After we all thanked him profusely for everything I said, “we would love to accept your kind offer but we must be back in Cyprus tonight for some important matters tomorrow.” He replied, “well in that case what about if when you finish your tour of duty in Cyprus on your way home you all come here to my home, stay here, and I will show you around?” I replied that we were unsure of when we would go and how we would travel, whether it’s independently or all together in a charter flight as we did coming, we will just have to see what arrangements we can make when we know what we are doing.” He said, “OK but keep it in mind.” We farewelled him and thanked him again and left We thanked Tarshim and the driver and flew back to Cyprus. Boy! What a trip.
Story provided by Ian Hardy 1st Cyprus Contingent
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An old Canadian acquaintance from UNFICYP passes away
This 1971 photo shows Mike Pilon (rear), with Don Pippolo, Gerry Walker, Roy Ellison and Chris Smith. All were with the PPCLI contingent and regular guests at the UNCIVPOL Club.
Those Australian members of the 7th and 8th contingents who served in or visited Nicosia may well recall the friendly companionship of CANCON dental officer Captain Mike Pilon who served in that role from August 1971 to May 1972. He was frequently seen at the UNCIVPOL Club at Blue Beret Camp – known by the Canadians as Camp Maple Leaf – near the original airport complex and made friends with all including Mick Drymalik (SAPol), Dick Nolan (Compol) and VicPol’s Roger Sharp. In 1973 he did a hitch-hiking, bus and plane tour of NSW, South Australia and Victoria renewing acquaintances with former AUSTCIVPOL buddies and sharing many memories. Greeting him on arrival at Sydney Airport and having him billeted at the School of Artillery at Manly, after a week of local sightseeing I got him a lift to Dubbo where he was invited to model clothes in a fashion parade and concurrently charm many of the local ladies. Finding transport further north-west he passed through some “boonies” such as Narromine, Nyngan and Cobar enroute to Broken Hill where he met up again with Lan Wilson (NSWP) for a tour of the Silver City before heading to Adelaide by bus where he was welcomed by Peter Marshman and other Cyprus veterans. Melbourne was the next stopover with time pressures having him fly back to Sydney for more “engagements” including a sponsored pub crawl through The Rocks with his drinking card being stamped by participating hostelries.
Back in Canada he married and had a family with Mila, was promoted to Major and on retirement from the military continued his professional life in private practice in Ottawa. For over forty years he maintained his Australian contacts, initially by post and later via almost weekly emails, was an amateur ham radio operator, loved long distance winter skating on the Rideau Canal and in latter years even did voiceovers for TV commercials. More time consuming was composing a lengthy compendium of his life’s travels which is available online at www.40countries.com and contains separate chapters and photos of his time in Cyprus and his Australian odyssey. In mid-2018 Mike, whose RCAF father had tutored Australian pilots in the WWII Empire Air Training Scheme, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent a series of treatments and while always optimistic as to their outcome, in recent times the illness increased its toll on his lifestyle. He was eventually placed into palliative care but passed away on January 15, 2020, surrounded by his family with his favourite music playing in the background. He never forgot his Australian friends from UN days in Cyprus and remained a great friend to many.
Source: John Murray 7th Contingent UNFICYP
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Menin Gate Last Post July 3, 2019, The Ode The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. The memorial is located at the eastern exit of the town and marks the starting point for one of the main roads out of the town that led Allied soldiers to the front line. In medieval times the original narrow gateway on the east side of the city of Ieper (Ypres) was originally called the Hangwaertpoort. The word “Poort” is Flemish for “gate”. At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 this eastern exit from the city was a cutting through the remains of the ancient ramparts. The road crossed the moat. This cutting was known as the “Menenpoort” in Flemish or the “Porte de Menin” in French, which translates as the “Menen or Menin Gate”. In 1914 Menen was known by its French name of Menin. The road from this gateway leads north-east for about 150 metres (now called the Marshalk Frenchlaan). At the crossroads there is a right turn into the road leading to the town of Menen (Menin), some 16 kilometres (10 miles) away. From 1914-1918 this road became known to the British Army as The Menin Road.
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The Menin Gate was so named because here the road out of Ypres passed through the old wall defences going in the direction of Menin. During the war the two stone lions standing on each side of the Menin Gate were seen by tens of thousands of troops as they went towards the front line. During the war both of the lions were removed from
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the gateway to prevent their destruction. In 1936 they were presented to the Australian nation by the Burgomeister (mayor) of the city of Ypres. Over 36,000 Australian soldiers were killed or wounded on the battlefields of the Ypres Salient, most of them during the battles in 1917. Over 6,000 of them have no known grave and are commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, which now stands on the site of the old Menenpoort. The two stone lions can now be found at the entrance to the Australian War Memorial museum in Canberra. The Australian government announced it would donate full-sized replicas of the Menin Gate lions to the City of Ieper (Ypres). The replicas were carved from Belgian Bluestone, the stone used for the original lions, and were installed outside the Menin Gate in 2018. The gate, beyond which these men’s fate lay, became highly symbolic. After the war it was decided that on the site a huge monument, designed by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, would commemorate those of the Empire who were killed in Belgium but have no known grave. The memorial was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927. Although it bears the names of 55,000 soldiers including 6,000 Australians, so great were the casualties that not all the names of “the missing” are here. Every evening the Last Post is sounded under the memorial’s great arch. On Wednesday evening July 3, I was very honoured to be able to recite the Ode at the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate, a memory I would like to share.
Over a few days at the beginning of July 2019, my wife Helen and I had driven around the north east of France and Belgium through well known WWI and WWII regions and towns such as Cambrai, Lille, to Ypres (pronounced ‘eeps’) as our base for our visits to Passchendaele, Hill 60, Salient, Bruges, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Thiepval Memorial, Bullecourt, Amiens, Australian Corps Memorial Le Hamel, Sir John Monash Centre Rue Cler, Viller-Bretonnex and Victoria School (Ecole-Victoria) to name a few. Whist staying at Ypres 1-4 July, we attended the Last Post Ceremonies on Monday and Tuesday night 1-2 July in preparation for my part on Wednesday 3 July. All three services were very emotive, attended by many nationalities and people of all ages and dress, including trumpeters, bands and school choirs (including a choir group from Bathurst NSW). On Wednesday evening July 3, I took my place under the arch and in the centre of Menin Gate, overawed by the honour and respect for the occasion, I recited the Ode. Afterwards Helen and I then laid a wreath and joined other participants in reflection. Others present during this ceremony included MacKillop College (Australia) and two Ministers from Newfoundland and Labrador Command, and Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
By Dale DJC Cooper RFD National Vice President UNOPAA
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Australian Federal Police Historian Retires Terry Browne made AFP history his career passion. It should be no surprise that the retirement dinner for Terry Browne, Team Leader AFP Museum, on Thursday, February 27, turned into a history lesson that was delivered with passion, humour and a few tears. Terry told the gathering of his family, friends and colleagues attending the function in the Commissioner’s Dining Room at the AFP College: “While I have an interesting story to tell, I have merely been a fly on the wall and have been lucky to witness, photograph and write about many of the great achievements by the AFP and its individual members”. He stressed that his particular story could not begin to compare with anyone who needed to carry a weapon to do their job.
Terry Browne.
Joining the AFP from Defence in April of 1984, Terry was engaged as the graphic designer for Platypus Magazine which was produced buy the then AFP Media Team of four who worked under the title of ‘Office of Information’. He soon undertook parttime public relations and journalism studies evolving his role into photographer-journalist and then Editor of Platypus Magazine. Terry recalled being involved in the production of AFP Annual Reports between 1994 and 2007, being Editor for the last half dozen. He was proud that during that period several of the AFP’s Annual Reports received awards. Over the years Terry developed a keen interest in the AFP’s history as well as the history of its predecessor organisations dating back to 1917. This interest gave him the background in the planning of the Centenary of Federal Policing activities held in 2017 in Warwick, Queensland. As far back as 1993, Terry was involved in the establishment of the AFP Museum at the Police Complex at Weston, ACT and had two stints as its Team Leader in the early 2000s and more recently from 2015 to the present day. During his time with the AFP, Terry has been awarded three Australia Day Achievement Medallions, evenly spaced over three decades and awarded for
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AFP Deputy Commissioner Karl Kent Presents Terry with his certificate of Service.
various projects that have related to the promoting the AFP’s corporate identity, its customs and traditions and more recently for his passionate advocacy of the AFP’s history during its recent 40th Anniversary Year. “In the days before desktop publishing I was responsible for the physical layout and design of most of the AFP’s promotional material. “I eventually began assisting with the ‘Constable Kenny Koala on Duty’ television show with set designs, props and scripts eventually becoming Kenny’s unseen operator on television for a couple of years.
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Recalling his journalism phase, Terry recounted to his dinner guests some of the inspirational stories that he had been told by AFP members, but that had never been published. “Stories like this need to find an audience,” he said. “They are happy, sad and confronting stories, but they are truly inspirational”. Some of these exploits are currently on display at the Australian War Memorial’s ‘The Courage of Peace’ Exhibition. The exhibition includes many references to the AFP’s Peacekeeping Missions and features objects selected from the AFP Museum’s collection. “The AFP Museum Team has made a fabulous contribution to this exhibition and it is one that should be seen by as many AFP members as possible” Terry said. Coordinator AFP Ceremonial & Protocol, Superintendent Mick Travers presents Terry with the testimonials from seven AFP Commissioners.
While I have an interesting story to tell, I have merely been a fly on the wall and have been lucky to witness, photograph and write about many of the great achievements by the AFP and its individual members. While it is satisfying providing display items for other institutions, Terry hopes that the re-establishment of a significant display space for the AFP’s heritage collection is not too far away.
Framed testimonials from seven AFP Commissioners.
“I can’t take credit for creating Constable Kenny, that was done by ACT Police officers a decade earlier, but with the help of my wife’s sewing skills, Kenny finally found his legs during my time with him. “The full bodied Kenny was able to be filmed on ski runs, bicycle rides and exercising at the gym by the time was had finished the 1989 television season. “The Kenny experience became a family matter during this time when I recruited my then primary school-aged children as unpaid extras in a series of ‘Constable Kenny’s Rules are OK’ community service television announcements”.
“Having its own display space enables the AFP to tell its own stories in its own way,” he said as he scrolled through images of many of the police museums he has visited during the past few years. Terry hopes to continue his interest into retirement by visiting the many police museums in Asia, Canada and the United States. He is convinced that police museums spread a great message and build confidence with the general public about the important role law enforcement plays in maintaining safety. At the conclusion of the evening AFP Deputy Commissioner Karl Kent presented Terry with a Badge Board comprised of mementos of his career. Terry was clearly touched when also presented with framed testimonials from the seven AFP Commissioners he has worked for since 1984.
Source: AFP Former Members Association
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Bryan (Boxer) Archman 8 March 1937 to 5 October 2019. By Peter McDonald Bryan Archman recently died in Victoria, aged 81 years. He was a member of the 2nd Contingent to Cyprus (1965-66), lived a full life and was known far and wide as “Boxer”. The origin of his nick-name was no doubt due to his boxing career. The following article was written about him in 2014 by K B Hill, in an article headed “The random jottings of an old sports buff”.
Most of my ‘allowance’ for the Show or the Carnival, during my mis-spent youth would go towards admission fees to the Boxing Tent. Always situated near the old peppercorn trees on the Ovens River side of the Wangaratta Showgrounds, I would be drawn to it by the thump, thump, thump of banging drums. Boxers paraded on a platform in front of a bright mural depicting some of the legendary fighters of the past, as Roy Bell or Bill Leech challenged some of the local boys to ‘take a glove’. It was always great theatre. Eventually blokes would emerge from the crowd, engage in a bit of repartee and be given a huge roar, as they climbed onto the platform to be matched with a sneering, hard-bitten usually-Aboriginal Troupe member. One bloke would occasionally put up his hand and get involved in the mandatory sledging and goings-on. I couldn’t wait to get inside and see him belt one of these brash outsiders. As I joined the throng filing into the tent, the drums would start beating again to the accompaniment of: “Your local hero ‘Bryany’ Archman fights this session”. Bryan Archman’s father was arguably Wangaratta’s greatest-ever wicket-keeper/batsmen. His mum was a Canny and dad, Frank worked as a driver for Canny’s for a few years prior to the war. Bryan played junior footy and cricket, but the first seeds of a love-affair with the noble art were sown when a fellow called Steve Last urged him to have a go at the boxing bag that was set up in his backyard.
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Soon after, his dad bought him a pair of boxing gloves and he began having work outs at the local Youth Club, run by well-known bookmaker Ray Parkinson and an old blacksmith, ‘Sooner’ Jones. He had regular sessions with the likes of Ralphy and Eric Tye and reasoned that he was pretty good with his fists. So a boxing career was born. He had one of his first bouts at the age of 12, on a program at Benalla, organised by the Youth Club and was outpointed by a Shepparton youngster called Carlos. The same Maxie Carlos, of course, was destined to become a famous Australian lightweight champion. From that point on he was smitten, much to the disappointment of his mother, Mary, who had visualised him following in his father’s cricketing footsteps. Bryan eventually moved to Melbourne in his employment as an apprentice with the Railways and continued with his boxing. He won amateur Golden Gloves titles in Under-Age divisions, then turned pro, soon after he had finished National Service. And just to keep the peace with his mum, who he knew would be horrified to know he was fighting professionally, he decided to change his name. That’s when he became Archie Bryant. In those days Festival Hall was the regular boxing venue on a Friday night, followed by a wrestlingboxing program on a Saturday night. ‘Archie’ won his first three-rounder on points on a Saturday night, won by a cut-eye decision the following Friday, and the next night won again on points. “So, I had my first three fights in eight days and got 7 pounds per fight. At the time I was earning 10 quid a week as a boilermaker“, he told author Jack Finlay. Between 1957 and 1961 he had 31 fights and earned a ranking at one stage, as Australia’s sixth-ranked middleweight. Archman was one of 25 former boxers whom Finlay interviewed for his book, Fighters. I spoke to him earlier this week. “Archie was tall for his weight and trained hard. He was a fine counter-puncher and good on his feet.
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He reckoned he boxed like a dancer and danced like a boxer!” “But his moment of truth arrived when one his workmates, ‘Curly’ Muir, who was an unofficial bookmaker at Festival Hall set him straight. ‘Curly’ told him ’As long as your backside points to the ground, you’ll never be a champion. You haven’t got the killer instinct and you don’t punch hard enough”. “Archie said, ’Here was a bloke who’d seen every fight in Melbourne for the last 20 years and knew all there was to know about the caper, and he’s telling me this …”
Between 1957 and 1961 he had 31 fights and earned a ranking at one stage, as Australia’s sixthranked middleweight.
Archie joined the Police Force in 1959 and continued in the fight game until 1961, when he retired from pro boxing. Archie Bryant reverted to Bryan Archman. He continued his active involvement by putting on police boxing and wrestling events throughout the state. And, of course, he still had plenty of unofficial fights. He showed boxer dogs and toured around the country Shows with them. To earn his petrol money home, he would saunter over to the tent and have three or four fights, cheered on by the parochial home crowds. With his dog-exhibitor’s tag on his lapel, people were sure that he was fair-dinkum and they’d get very excited when he approached the canvas tent. “Of course, it was all arranged and we pulled our punches, but everyone seemed to have a good time”, he recalled. Now long-retired, Bryan Archman lives in Camberwell. Fighting is in his blood and his pulse stirs when he sees a good ‘stoush’. It brings back memories of the days when he was ducking and weaving at Festival Hall and even when he was belting that old punching-bag in Steve Last’s backyard.
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How ready is Australia for peacekeeping operations? Australia has a proud history of engagement with the UN, including participating in and leading UN peace operations, from Cyprus in 1964 to East Timor in 1999. But peace operations have fallen off the Australian priority list over the past 20 years, and our experience gained in the early 2000s is beginning to look dated. Many of those who had peace operations experience in the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Federal Police have now moved on in their careers. The nature of peace operations has also changed. UN peacekeeping missions today are much closer to war-fighting or counterterrorism operations than they were when Australia last led them. In October last year, the Prime Minister announced an Australian co-deployment of peacekeepers to the Golan Heights. With this in mind, it seems reasonable to consider Australia’s readiness for future peace operations. If we intend to dust off our UN peace operations role, how well prepared are we? Based on discussions I had in mid-2019 with subject-matter experts from the AFP, the ADF, the government and the non-government sector, the answer is mixed. Given Australia’s current focus on the Pacific, it’s most likely that that’s where an Australian contingent would be deployed if the need arose. Police networks are much more prevalent in the region than militaries, which means the AFP is more likely to be called on than the ADF to respond to a crisis. Australia gained deep levels of experience in regional stabilisation missions such as RAMSI throughout the 2000s and was even considered a world leader in
peace operations policing. In 2014, as a member of the UN Security Council, Australia secured the firstever resolution focused on UN policing. Since then, however, our commitment to and specific capability for police peacekeeping appear to have quietly faded. The capability shortfall ranges from a lack of basic understanding of how the UN system works (for example, the effect of a Security Council mandate on the rules of engagement, and how the chain of command works in a UN mission) to a lack of specific UN-mandated pre-deployment training, which used to be, but is no longer, integrated into the ADF training continuum. AFP readiness was dealt a significant blow when, in 2015, the agency’s International Deployment Group (IDG) underwent a substantial internal restructure. This group was a highly trained and specialised unit focused on the particular challenges of police peacekeeping that are distinct from the day-today work of the AFP (such as dealing with actors with access to weapons not readily available in Australia, multiagency cooperation and international mandates). Of course, internal restructuring is a consistent feature of government. At the time, the perception was that the role would no longer be required in an environment of limited AFP resources. However, what was lost was the readiness to deploy quickly, as instruction in those essential and specialised skills was removed from AFP training. The AFP does maintain extensive community policing and mentoring networks across the region and it’s already well represented in the front lines of relevant institutions. But the reality is that any decision to pull people from those roles to contribute to a peace operation would be at the cost of existing tasks, and diverting resources from established functions to a new line of effort would require time and funding and interrupt other essential work. To put it another way, the AFP doesn’t have builtin ‘fat’ as an organisation, and diverting officers to
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peacekeeping missions would take them away from anti-drug operations, airport security, institutionbuilding, counterterrorism and other vital work in our region. If a crisis requiring peace operations policing arises, the mission will need to be ‘recruited to’, and AFP officers will need to undertake specific training before they can be deployed. The restructuring of the IDG is a significant blow to the operational readiness of the AFP for peace operations. There also seems to be some confusion between the ADF and AFP about whole-of-government capabilities and readiness. For example, the status of the AFP’s IDG isn’t well known within the ADF. Unless the reality of the AFP’s readiness is accurately understood and taken into account by the ADF now, the viability of planning for a real-life crisis is at risk. It was clear from my discussions with AFP and ADF members that there’s a unanimous political will to act if something happens in the region on the scale of events in Solomon Islands or Timor-Leste. What’s missing is the readiness to respond to such a crisis quickly. For example, peace-operation-specific skills aren’t integrated into large-scale military exercises such as Talisman Sabre, as they reportedly once were. The departmental resources required for AFP and civilian agency participation in military exercises are considerable and divert officers away from their day jobs. So, while the scenarios practised in exercises, such as humanitarian disasters, stabilisation or peace operations, would undoubtedly have a strong police or civilian lead in real life, rehearsing with those key players is increasingly difficult because only militaries are resourced with planning as a central task. If the transition from war-fighting to peace operations— or from green to blue—isn’t practised sufficiently with
Australia’s regional and strategic partners, we may be underprepared should a crisis arise. What’s lacking in our current peace operations readiness is clear: there’s no whole-of-government policy. People working in this area see Australia as a frontrunner in regional training and leadership for peace operations, but it seems that view is based on our peace operations experience of 15 to 20 years ago and the ADF’s standing in the region as a professional, highly trained defence force. The AFP and ADF need to work with government agencies in a more consistent and concerted fashion. Other components of planning—such as policy and political enablers—need to be brought into the conversation to ensure that operations, policy and planning across the whole of government are more consistent. A coordinated approach, including integrated and updated training and exercising, would ensure that Australia’s readiness is understood across the board and that accurate planning is based on today’s capabilities, not those of two decades ago.
By Josie Hornung Published in “The Strategist”, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 31 January 2020 Josie Hornung is a research fellow at the Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) and a PhD candidate in international relations at the University of Queensland. This work was conducted for ACMC and is informed by discussions with officials from the Department of Defence, the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
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UNMISS: David Shearer, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan is interviewed on Radio Miraya by Lighthouse International Primary School student, Ayot Sandra Dominic. (June 2017)
Peacekeeping radio stations provide COVID-19 information to vulnerable communities in conflict-affected countries UN Peacekeeping radio stations have in recent decades helped build support for peace process in a dozen countries around the world including Cambodia, Croatia, Namibia and Timor-Leste. Today, these stations are playing another vital role – getting the word out to vulnerable communities in conflict-affected states about the coronavirus pandemic and how people can protect themselves and others from getting the disease.
Providing accurate and timely information to the public and media about the UN’s role in COVID-19 prevention and preparedness and the impact on UN personnel and activities in the country is an operational necessity and fundamental to fighting the disease.
UN Peacekeeping currently has large, popular and trusted radio stations in four African countries: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, which have already recorded cases of COVID-19; and Mali and South Sudan which have not.
Radio Miraya, the station of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), has for weeks been dedicating time and resources to provide the population on the pandemic. Based in the capital Juba, Miraya has the largest reach of any broadcaster in South Sudan and due to an effective relay system can be heard throughout most of the country.
The stations ability to reach both big urban centres and isolated communities in countries which lack basic communications infrastructure, can play an important role in addressing the disease.
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“For the great majority of people across South Sudan there is no internet, television or newspapers available.
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UNMISS/Sofie Lafrance On Radio Miraya’s early morning show in South Sudan, Afro-Beat artist Check-B Magic (left) and a representative of the civil society organization War Child Holland discuss his song ‘COVID/Corona, which raises awareness about Coronavirus. In South Sudan, Radio Miraya’s ‘critical role’.
So how do people get their news? Some by word of mouth, but mostly from Radio Miraya,” said David Shearer, the Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral for South Sudan and Head of UNMISS. He added: “We know from a public opinion survey that Radio Miraya is available across over twothirds of this vast country and that 80 per cent of those it reaches listen to it every day. That literally makes Radio Miraya a communication lifeline for communities in times of crisis.” Radio Miraya reports the latest news about the global epidemic and the impact it may have on South Sudan. It also runs public service announcements (PSAs), including recently written songs by popular artists on the best practices to prevent any eventual outbreak for starting or spreading, such as handwashing and social distancing. Right now, with the onset of the coronavirus, Miraya is playing an especially critical role. Its staff is working long hours to broadcast public health messages from WHO on how people can keep themselves safe. It constantly updates on the Government’s plans and preparations for the virus as well as providing more in-depth coverage of how the virus is impacting communities. It also reports on the situation in other countries linking South Sudanese to the news across the world so they can understand its impact globally. “It’s not just dull health warnings. We’re also taking an innovative approach playing songs and jingles
by South Sudanese musicians and offering lighthearted tips about how to have fun and relax while staying safe. That improves the chance to reach all audiences, including young people. We will try pretty much anything to get the message across if it will help the people we are here to serve,” Mr. Shearer said. In South Sudan and in the other countries hosting peacekeeping operations, the UN radio stations have echoed the Secretary-General’s recent call for a global ceasefire so the world can concentrate its efforts on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Peacekeeping radio stations cooperate with public and private broadcasters in the countries where they operate. The often provide their national counterparts with content, public service announcements, and training. Never has this cooperation been more crucial than today. But radio is not the only communications tool available to UN Peacekeeping, and the missions’ social media platforms are also being put to good use. Providing the public with simple messages and important facts on the disease can be quickly and effectively done via Twitter, Facebook or other social media that may be popular in the country. A better-informed public is key to helping fight the pandemic. And peacekeeping radio is playing its part.
Source: United Nations Peacekeeping News, 27 March 2020
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UN asks 9 countries to delay peacekeeper rotations due to coronavirus
United Nations Blue Helmets open the military parade on the Champs Elysees on Bastille Day, on July 14, 2008 in Paris. (AFP/Gerard Cerles)
The United Nations has asked nine countries, including China, South Korea and France, to delay by three months the rotations of their UN peacekeeping forces due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The request was made to the countries “to maintain operational strength and execute their mandated tasks”, diplomatic sources at the UN said. The nine countries also include Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, India, Italy and Germany – all of which have experienced significant outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus. The UN peacekeeping missions are under constant reassessment in relation to the rotations of the soldiers and police, who are deployed to the mission by their home countries. The UN wants to keep the deployed troops healthy while maintaining the continuity of the operations. Around 100,000 people are deployed on peacekeeping operations in 13 countries.
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Occupied Golan Heights, 02/18/2017 © StockStudio / Shutterstock
Why Peacekeeping Fails Peacekeepers are bound to fail if there is no peace to keep. The United Nations was not even three years old when it launched its first peacekeeping mission in 1948. For the last 70 years, it has been continuously involved in such operations, often with mixed results.
These mandate peacekeepers to protect civilians and aid governments that are threatened by violent extremism — a task where the peacekeepers will not have success.
Over this time, peacekeeping and the wars to which it has been applied have changed. The challenges peacekeepers face has evolved from ones that were relatively straightforward to assignments that were becoming highly complex. More recently, peacekeepers are facing challenges that are impossible to overcome.
WARS OVER TERRITORY
There are currently 13 UN peacekeeping missions employing nearly 100,000 soldiers, police and civilians at an annual cost of $6.5 billion. These missions reflect the three stages of peacekeeping’s evolution. The oldest among them were launched in response to wars between countries over territory. The second stage involved multidimensional operations, in which peacekeepers undertake a wide variety of tasks to help countries recover from civil wars. The most recently launched operations represent the third stage, the protection and stabilization missions.
The six classical peacekeeping operations have logged a combined total of more than three centuries of peacekeeping efforts. Yet none of the six is going to end in the foreseeable future, mainly because that doesn’t serve the interests of some of the permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The operation in the Western Sahara that began in 1991 is supposed to hold a referendum on independence for the region. Morocco, which claims the territory, will not permit a referendum that would result in independence. The Polisario Front, which represents the freedom movement of the Sahrawi people, will not agree to a referendum that does not grant independence. Because France protects Morocco’s interests, the mission will not end.
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In Cyprus, the UN mission began in 1964 and is tasked with getting the Greek and Turkish Cypriots to live together in peace. Britain has military bases on Cyprus, so Britain’s interest is in preserving the status quo. There is little chance for change because the Turkish Cypriot leaders have no desire to be a minority in a united country. They declared their own independent state on the northern end of the island, even though Turkey is the only nation that recognizes it. The Turks also don’t want a united country dominated by Greek Cypriots. And the Russians also see political advantage in making sure that the Cyprus issue remains unresolved. That mission will never end either. A small force has operated in Kashmir for more than 70 years. Since it is supposedly helping to avoid a war between India and Pakistan — two countries with nuclear weapons — no one is ready to terminate that mission, even though what it is accomplishing is unclear.
CLASSICAL PEACEKEEPING The remaining three classical peacekeeping operations are located in and around Israel. They are the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Jerusalem, the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). A fourth operation, the Multilateral Force and Observers (MFO) is located in the Sinai as a result of the Camp David accords. It is not a UN effort because Russia would have vetoed its establishment, so it was set up independently.
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UNTSO, the UN’s first peacekeeping operation, began in 1948. It continues to this day, but makes no visible contribution to peace. UNDOF was created in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War. Because the civil war in Syria has made it unsafe for the peacekeepers, UNDOF can’t carry out its functions. In addition, the Trump administration has proclaimed that “the United States recognizes that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel.” Since Israel is never going to withdraw from the Golan, and Syria is never going to give up its demands to recover the area, the peacekeepers will apparently never be able to go home. UNIFIL was established in 1978 to ascertain Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, after fighting between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israeli military forces in southern Lebanon. While its 10,000 peacekeepers from 40 countries patrol dozens of times every day, it can’t do anything without the cooperation of the Lebanese government. That government now includes Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon. The US considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The Israelis believe it is stockpiling tens of thousands of rockets in population centres and digging tunnels under the border, much as Hamas — another USproclaimed terrorist group — has done in Gaza. Yet when the Israelis pointed out a brick factory that they believed was being used to hide one of the tunnels, the Lebanese government refused to let the UN investigate because the factory was private property.
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UNIFIL facilitates communications between the two sides — since they don’t talk to each other — but that does not require thousands of peacekeepers. Perhaps to calm tensions in the region, UNIFIL does have one accomplishment: It has organized yoga lessons. The MFO came into being in 1981, when Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula. Because of terrorism in northern Sinai, the peacekeepers have now largely withdrawn to the south, far from the border. Meanwhile, the Egyptian and Israeli armies, which the MFO was set up to keep apart, are conducting joint combat operations together against the extremists. In other words, these operations in the Middle East have no exit strategy. And, like Jared Kushner’s peace plan, none of them is doing anything to encourage a political process that might resolve the conflicts that caused them. They do allow Israel to blame the UN when things go wrong. And, like the Iron Dome missile defence system, they provide the Israelis some relief from thinking about the longerterm implications of their defence strategy and foreign policy. Since there seems to be nothing that the current American administration will not do to please Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (and Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire), the US will ensure these missions will also never end.
CIVIL WARS The second type of peacekeeping — multidimensional operations — began as a result of civil wars over political power. Once a ceasefire was established in these conflicts, peacekeepers could be sent in. They were given a long list of goals to help the peace become permanent. The list could include demobilizing most of the former combatants and reintegrating them into civilian life, forming a new national army that was not loyal to only one side, aiding refugees to return to their homes, providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to restart the economy and holding elections in a country with little to no democratic experience. Given the cost of such operations — thousands of peacekeepers were required for such tasks — there was pressure to achieve all the objectives on a tight schedule. If the elections produced a government with some legitimacy, the peacekeepers could declare success and depart. While the UN has achieved mixed results in its multidimensional missions, they are, at least for the moment, largely a thing of the past. Of the current missions, only two are multidimensional.
Actually, it would be more accurate to call them unidimensional because their objectives have been drastically reduced over the years. Today they are small operations limited to attempting to professionalize the police in Kosovo and in Haiti (as well as carry out judicial reforms there). Yet Russia won’t let the UN close the mission in Kosovo.
DEALING WITH TERRORISM The remaining six operations are all in sub-Saharan Africa. They represent the third stage of the evolution of peacekeeping — the protection and stabilization missions. They are the most dangerous and difficult operations where peacekeeping will inevitably fail. At the risk of being tautological, peacekeepers are bound to fail if there is no peace to keep. When a ceasefire is negotiated, peacekeepers can potentially do their work. Without one, they are either ineffective or they have to take on a combat role. That requires the international community — the UN Security Council — to let peacekeepers inflict and take casualties. To make matters much worse, the five countries where these protection and stabilization missions are taking place — Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo — have governments that are among the most corrupt, repressive and incompetent in the world. These countries are therefore not particularly interested in protecting their own citizens. Their armies and police exist mainly to protect the regime in power. The wealthy nations with the most capable armies are unwilling to provide a significant number of troops for this type of peacekeeping. So, it is left largely to poorly equipped and inadequately trained soldiers from developing nations who are not going to defeat violent extremism. If the US cannot prevail against violent extremists in Afghanistan after 18 years of trying, there is no chance that the peacekeepers can do so in Africa. This third category of missions has become a way for rich countries to send the soldiers from poor countries to deal with conflicts that the rich countries don’t care all that much about. The fundamental problem is that there is no peace to keep, and the UN forces will never be capable of imposing one, because peacekeepers are not war fighters. Peacekeeping is a bandage, not a cure. At best, it stanches the bleeding, but it cannot heal the wound. To use it any other way is to ensure its failure.
By Dennis Jett Fair Observer, Jul 30, 2019
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UNOPAA 2021 20th National Conference Norfolk Island
As was being mooted at the last Conference in Caloundra QLD, we’re excited to announce that the next UNOPAA Conference will be held on Norfolk Island in October 2021 and an invitation is extended to all UNOPAA members and partners to attend.
The general schedule planned at this stage is to be on Norfolk Island for UNOPAA Conference for the week of Tuesday, 19 October, to Monday, 25 October, 2021, inclusive. Norfolk Island is located just 2hrs flying time from Brisbane or Sydney, making it easily accessible and a wonderful location for the 20th National Conference. Norfolk Island offers a peaceful, safe and unspoiled destination. Far from traffic and crowds, you’ll find fresh seasonal meals at the cafes and restaurants; snorkelling is as easy as walking in off the beach and there are many beautiful National Park rainforest walks. And of course, there is the World Heritage listed convict site at Kingston to explore. For delegates who can spend a little extra time after the conference, extending your stay will mean
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True Blue April 2020
you can not only relax at the beach but also take advantage of a diverse range of activities on offer such as joining a fishing charter to find out why the locals call it ‘catching’ instead of ‘fishing, or enjoying a round of golf on the stunning course that sits alongside the ocean. Norfolk has an astounding history, intriguing local culture and unique environment that can be selfexplored or found on well packaged tours. From learning the local Norf’k language and craft of weaving, visiting Museums, joining a bird or kayak tour, learning about convict life or playing bowls with the locals – there’s something for everyone on surprising Norfolk Island. The planning committee will be consulting with the great team at Norfolk Island Travel Centre to enable best flight deals and accommodation to enable your
trouble free travel. Further details will be forthcoming in the near future by email, FaceBook, and snail mail. To enable our planning to now commence, we would like those interested to register your intention to attend so that we can start working on numbers and costs. Please send your name/s and email address to unopaa@gmail.com
Note: We are not expecting that any COVID-19 health or travel restrictions to still be applying in late 2021. All going well our Reunion will still be going ahead. The National Executive will provide you with ample forward advice if anything changes.
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Vale On behalf of the UNOPAA National Executive, our National Committee, State Branches and all members of UNOPAA, we would like to acknowledge the service of the following, particularly to overseas peacekeeping, and to express our sympathy to family, contingent colleagues and friends. It is with regret that we advise of the passing of:
JOHN COOPE A South Australian Police member of the 9th Contingent to Cyprus (1972-73) and a longstanding member of UNOPAA. John passed away in Adelaide on Friday 13 December 2019, aged 79 years. His funeral was held at the chapel of Alfred James, 543 Marion Road, South Plympton SA at 3.00pm on Friday 20 December 2019.
DONALD BRUCE (DON) NICHOLSON A Western Australian Police member of the 4th Contingent to Cyprus (1967-68) Don retired from the WA Police as a Superintendent. He passed away peacefully at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch Western Australia on Friday, 27 December 2019, aged 87 years. A cremation service was held at the Karrakatta Cemetery in WA on Wednesday, 8 January 2020.
PAUL THOMAS BLOOD OAM A NSW police member who served in East Timor in 2001-02. He also had a distinguished career within the Army Reserve, rising to the rank of Brigadier. Paul passed away after a long illness on Friday, 17 January 2020, aged 54 years. His funeral was held on Wednesday, 22 January 2020, at the Perpetual Succour Catholic Church, 64 Kendall Street, West Pymbal NSW.
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ROSS LAMBERT A NSW Police member of the 5th Contingent to Cyprus (1968-69). Ross passed away from cancer on Saturday, 18 January 2020, aged 83 years. His funeral was held on Friday, 24 January 2020 in the Chapel at French’s Forest Cemetery, 1 Hakea Avenue, Davidson NSW 2085 (North Sydney). Advice of his passing was received from his son Andrew.
BRYAN FRANCIS (BOXER) ARCHMAN A Victoria Police member of the 2nd Contingent to Cyprus (1965-66). Bryan passed away on 5 October 2019, aged 81 years. A Celebration of his Life was held at the Tower Hotel, East Hawthorn, on 10 March 2020.
TERRY O’BRIEN APM A Northern Territory Police member of the 7th Contingent to Cyprus (1970-71). Terry passed away from cancer in hospital in Darwin on the morning of 11 March 2020, aged 79 years. Funeral details for Terry were not provided.
ROSS (ROSCOE) BEER
SHAUN JEFFREY O’REILLY
A Queensland Police member of the 2nd Contingent to Cyprus (1965-66).
An AFP member who passed away on 14 March 2020 aged 49 years.
Ross passed away on 19 March 2020 in the John Flynn Hospital on the Gold Coast. He was 76 and had been in poor health for some time.
Shaun joined the Australian Federal Police on 1 July 2009. He deployed to Papua New Guinea in 2017-18.
Because of the corona virus, his family have decided not to hold a traditional funeral service but plan to hold a memorial service at a future time.
DUDLEY ORCHARD
DARRYL COLIN HUPPATZ An AFP member who served in East Timor, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. Darryl passed away in Thailand on 20 February 2020 aged 62 years. Darryl joined the Commonwealth Police on 7 November 1977 and transitioned to the Australian Federal Police. He retired from the AFP on 20 July 2012. A funeral service and cremation have been held in Thailand. A Memorial Service for Darryl was to be held on Saturday 21, March, at Colonel Light Gardens RSL, South Australia however, due to the COVID 19 restrictions this service was cancelled
A Queensland Police member of the 5th Contingent to Cyprus (1968-69). Dudley passed away on 30 March 2020 at the Nandeebie Nursing Home, Alexandra Hills (Qld) following post-operative pneumonia. He was 80 years of age and retired from the Queensland Police at the rank of Superintendent. His funeral was held at the Great Southern Memorial Park Crematorium, Mount Cotton Road, Carbrook on Friday 3 April 2020. There will be a memorial service to be held at the Redlands Bay RSL at a later date when the current covid 19 restrictions are lifted. Advice was received from the Queensland Retired Police Association via Whiskey Walker.
The UNOPAA National Executive, our National Committee and all members of UNOPAA, express our sympathy to families and friends of the above.
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UNITED NATIONS & OVERSEAS POLICING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (UNOPAA)
Membership Renewal or Application Your annual UNOPAA membership subscription is $20.00. Please complete this form and return with your subscription to address at the bottom of this form.
Surname or Family Name Given Name/s Preferred Name Private Address (No. & Street) (Suburb or Town) (State)
(Postcode)
Spouse/Partner’s Name Phone (Home or Mobile)
(Business)
Email Address Current or former Police Organisation (please tick)
AFP
VIC
SA
TAS
NSW
QLD
WA
NT
Currently serving
Service Status
Other
(specify below)
Former or retired
Associate
United Nations or Overseas Policing Service UN Mission/Country of Policing Service (eg: UNFICYP-Cyprus, UNMIT/TLPDP-Timor Leste, RAMSI, Afghanistan, etc)
Year/s
Contingent Number/s
Military Service (eg: RAAF, Corps, Regiment, Wing, Ship etc)
Membership Fees
for Serving Members, Former or Retired,
$20.00 or Associate Cheque
Payment Type
Do you require a receipt?
Year/s
Yes
No
Money Order
Signature
EFTPOS - Account Name: UNOPAA BSB: 815-000 Account No: 229831
Direct debit (form attached)
All payments MUST be made in Australian Dollars. Make cheques payable to UNOPAA. Do NOT send cash.
Please send this Application Form and remittance to: UNOPAA c/- Peter McDonald, National Secretary PO Box 253, East Keilor, VIC, 3033 Phone: (03) 9337 4736 Mobile: 0418 131 352 Email: secretary@unopaa.org
Official Use Only
Membership updated on: By:
UNITED NATIONS & OVERSEAS POLICING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA UNOPAA (Inc. NSW) ABN: 83 146 901 797
MERCHANDISE
COST
UNOPAA Tie – Blue with Light Blue Logo
$20.00
UNOPAA Cuff Links
$20.00
QUANTITY
SUBTOTAL
Tie
UNOPAA Lapel Pins Round
$20.00
UNOPAA Flag/ANF Lapel Pins
$10.00
UNOPAA/ANF Challenge Coin
$25.00
DELIVERY DETAILS
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Please note – GST, postage and handling included
Cuff Links
TOTAL:
CHEQUE OR MONEY ORDER Send cheque or money order in mail, payable to “UNOPAA”, and this form completed with your order to PO Box 7099, KARABAR NSW 2620 DIRECT CREDIT - INTERNET TRANSFER Account: UNOPAA Merchandise S2 BSB: 815000 Account: 100343942 Reference: <your last name> and ‘MRCHDS’ in the reference field Then e-mail details of the transaction including your reference number and a copy of this completed form to heldale.cooper@gmail.com Title (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Rank)
No/Street
First Name
City/Suburb
Last Name
State
Country
Mobile
Phone
Post/Zip Code
The United Nations & Overseas Police Association of Australia (UNOPAA) will accept returned products/ merchandise where: • The product is faulty, or not fit for purpose, or the product does not match the sample or description. Proof of purchase (UNOPAA merchandise receipt) must be provided in order to: • Obtain a refund (by cheque) will be provided or re-issue alike article.
Lapel Pins Round
Flag/ANF Lapel Pins
ANF Challenge Coin IMPORTANT NOTES The UNOPAA will take the utmost care in packaging; however, we will not accept any responsibility for goods damaged in transit. The UNOPAA will not accept returns where the product or merchandise is ordered specifically for an individual (eg Montage, clothing, etc) All queries for return of merchandise must be received within 30 days from date of purchase and directed to the UNOPAA Merchandise officer @heldale.cooper@ gmail.com. Item returns will be at the discretion of the APPVA Merchandise Officer provided the above criterion is met in the first instance. Please choose carefully as UNOPAA cannot accept returns due to a change of mind.
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