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I was deployed to East Timor as part of AFPO 5, which is a sub-unit of 176 AD Sqn. On the 28th of February I was asked by 26 Tpt Sqn to go on a task with them to Balibo, near the border of West Timor. I had no idea what the next day would involve but I agreed anyway. The next morning I arrived at the 26 Tpt Sqn yard at 0630h, just in time for breakfast. After I had breakfast, orders were given for the task. The reason for the convoy was to transport food to 5/7 RAR in Balibo. We left the yard at 0745h with marching order, including helmets and vests. There were eight vehicles in the convoy. We took the coast road all the way to Balibo. So, as I expected, the sights were fascinating as well as breathtaking. The roads were quite good except for a couple of rough patches. We also had military police at the front of the convoy to stop the oncoming traffic for us. Most of the way down there was only just enough room for a Mack truck to drive on. The locals along the way were always happily waving as we went past them, I think this was because of the less exposure they had to us, compared to Dili. Before we even arrived in Balibo, we were informed that the Merlo that was to unload us had broken down. This meant that all the food would have to be unloaded by hand. This took a lot longer than expected. The first truck had a lot of broken eggs on the floor due to the boxes not being packed properly. Once we had finished unpacking the trucks it was time for lunch. Even though we had been issued ration packs by 9 FSB, 5/7 RAR kindly fed us. After lunch we headed back. I ended up going back in a Mack Truck so I could see more of the view than I had on the way down, as I was in the back of a Landcruiser the whole way. The trip to Balibo was quite good because I got to see a bit more of Timor than I would have if I had worked in the Post Office for the day. The only thing that was disappointing about the trip was that I didn't have a camera with me.
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