right royal visit p2 7 bde's grand send - Department of Defence

16 WORLD NEWS Army February 4, 2010
Traditional
tour in Timor
On song: John Schumann and the Vagabond
Crew perform at the FOB in Gleno, East Timor.
Photo by AB Jo Dilorenzo
AUSTRALIAN and New Zealand military personnel
serving in East Timor took time out before Christmas
to enjoy performances by leading entertainers.
John Schumann and his band, the Vagabond Crew,
comedian Gary Bradbury and singer Chantelle Delaney
performed a series of concerts at military bases in East
imor as part of the 17th Tour de Force.
The concerts follow the tradition established almost
0 years ago when leading Australian performers enterained
more than 4000 troops from countries serving in
he International Force for East Timor.
Commander Australian and New Zealand personnel
eployed in East Timor, Cmdr Stuart Mayer, thanked the
our de Force for bringing world-class entertainment
nd a taste of home to the troops.
“Again we have seen a great response from the
ustralian entertainment industry and we are grateful to
he entertainers who have come here to perform,” Cmdr
ayer said.
Pte Joseph Nolen summed up the sentiments of the
roops, saying he enjoyed the concert, but noted that his
oved ones were not far from his mind.
“I miss my family heaps,” he said. “I hope they have
great Christmas and are happy to know I will be home
oon.”
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Blame it on the boogey: Musicians from 1RAR Band perform a Michael Jackson medley. Front row left to right: Cpl Sheree Klopp,
Musn Paul Hadley, LCpl Arthur Florence, Maj Dan Hiscock, Musn Ben Bonney, Sgt Phil Johansen. Back row: Musn Angie Currington
Sgt Mick Lee, Cpl Marcus McCray, Musn Grant Thomas and Musn Barney Briggs. Photos by WO2 Mark Dowling
Band strikes MEAO
By Lt Madeline Denholm
and what was going to be required in each Former commander of the MEAO Maj-Gen
location, but when you’re around the other side
FROM rock concerts to Carols by
of the world, you have to be pretty flexible.”
Candlelight, jazz sessions to trivia nights, The immediate challenge once they arrived
1RAR Band have wrapped up a whirlwind was an environment very different from their
three-week tour of the MEAO.
home base of Townsville.
The 15 members, who included musicians “Kabul, which was our first stop, was bit-
from the rock band and the front-line – or terly cold and we struggled with that,” Maj
horn section – and the technical support crew, Hiscock said.
arrived in the MEAO in mid-December last “Instruments aren’t designed to be played
year and performed for Australian and ISAF in zero or sub-zero temperatures, so that took
forces in several locations across Afghanistan an adjustment period, but it worked out okay.”
and the Middle East.
The next stop was Camp Holland at Tarin
Mark Kelly said the tour had been a great success.
“It was appreciated by all JTF 633 personnel
who were able to see them perform, as
well as many of our coalition partners.”
Maj Hiscock said it had been several years
since any service band had deployed overseas
under its own strength as an independent act
without the assistance of celebrities through
Forces Entertainment tours.
“As musicians, our primary role is the
maintenance of morale in barracks and on
operations. We don’t get many opportunities to
Musical Director Maj Dan Hiscock said Kowt, where the band hosted a Carols by deploy, but when we do, it’s something we all
almost six months of planning went into the Candlelight concert on Christmas Eve, played look forward to,” he said.
tour.
at Christmas church services, and then per- “It was particularly good this time because
“We’ve been working on programs, arrangformed a rock concert that afternoon. we got to support our own troops, like 1RAR,
ing charts, coming up with not only the con- They also performed concerts for other at a time of year when we can make a tangible
certs, but also music trivia, karaoke and all the ISAF forces at Tarin Kowt before travelling difference because they’re all missing home,
different contingencies that we might be faced to Kandahar for a series of New Year concerts and, at Christmas, I don’t think there’s a better
with over here,” Maj Hiscock said.
and other musical events as part of their tour time to have music support than when you’re
“We knew roughly where we were going for Operation Slipper.
on deployment overseas.”
In the swing: The 1RAR band goes wild.
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