20th Interfet Anniversary Tour, 1999 | Other
20th Interfet Anniversary Tour, 1999
Phone: +61 467 484 535
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18.01.2022 Mt Ramelau aka Mt Tatamailau. Day 16 will be another highlight to my trip as hiking is in my blood This trip this afternoon has taken us through winding road...s climbing inland and the central ranges, passing the town of Maubisse just so we can prepare for the 3 hour trek to the summit tomorrow morning. The highest point of the country is at the summit of this beautiful mountain. It measures at 2963 meters above sea level. A statue of Our Lady was erected here by the Catholic Church during the years of Indonesian occupation, measuring 3 meters high.
18.01.2022 Day 14: Tuesday 24 September 19 This is the Reception we received by Brigadier Falur and his home community prior to our climbing mount watulawa and our tour of the caves.
13.01.2022 Apologies if I am doubling up on posts. We have had a bit going on the last few days.
12.01.2022 Day 16: Thursday 26 September 19 Aileu This memorial cemetery contains the graves of Portuguese victims of a Japanese massacre in 1942.... Between 1942 and 1945, the Japanese occupied Portuguese Timor. On August 31, 1942, the town was invaded by Colunas Negras, the Timorese allies of the Japanese invaders. Five Portuguese soldiers, as well as several civil servants and missionaries, were killed. A memorial in Aileu commemorates the massacre today.
10.01.2022 Day 14: Tuesday 24 September 19 Same: Whilst we travel the entire spectrum of Timor Lestè, working Our way across the tar roads, potholes and small winding narr...ow tracks we eventually came across a magnificent statue of an East Timorese hero ~ Dom Boaventura. So I needed to do some research as I was completely unaware of who this gentleman was? This is what I found: The East Timorese rebellion of 191112, sometimes called the Great Rebellion or Rebellion of Manufahi,[a] was a response to the efforts of Portuguese colonial authorities to collect a head tax and enforce the corvée, part of their larger effort to encourage cash crop agriculture and construct modern infrastructure. The countrywide conflict of 191112 was the culmination of a series of revolts led by Dom Boaventura, the liurai (chief)[b] of the native kingdom of Manufahi. The first lasted from 1894 to 1901, the second from 1907 to 1908. In 1911 Boaventura led an alliance of local kingdoms in the last and most serious revolt against the Portuguese. In February 1912 rebels from one kingdom entered the colonial capital of Dili, killing and burning as they went. They looted Government House and decapitated several Portuguese soldiers and officers. In August, the Portuguese brought in troops from Mozambique and a gunboat from Macau to suppress the revolt. The revolt cost 3,424 Timorese killed and 12,567 wounded, and 289 Portuguese killed and 600 wounded. After 1912 the Portuguese pacification of East Timor was complete. They also ceased to appoint hereditary liurais and the native states went extinct. The rebellion of 1912 was seminal in creating an East Timorese identity distinct from "Portuguese subject" or just "Timorese". Dom Boaventura was the king of the Manufahi tribe during the Portuguese colonial period in Timor. He led a rebellion, from 1895 ~ 1912, for their freedom from colonial rule. His story was harrowing. Jan was told that he fought until he was trapped on a mountain top, then captured. Not much was known about what happened to him, after his capture, until his descendants were told his body was buried outside Samè Cemetery. Now the Timorese’s fight for their complete and total independence makes complete sense to me now. For generations East Timor as my generation knew it has been constantly invaded for pure self interest and for generations they just had enough. It’s taken many lives of the Timorese people, but their loss is not been in vain
09.01.2022 Day 17: Friday 27 September 19 Dili to Darwin Like all great trips in our life they eventually come to an end.... It all started with a meet and greet in Darwin for group 1 and 2. We then boarded the plane to Dili, where we were greeted with love and respect and ushered into the VIP area in the Dili international airport. We were then introduced to Manny our tour guide and drivers who took us straight to our hotel. We departed from Dili to the Oecusse enclave. After a long delay at the Indonesian border we arrived with once again a loving and respectful greeting by the local government officials and the Oecusse veterans themselves. While there we had our own time to explore the enclave, where myself, Johhny and Rick headed out to the mountains of Passabe where we all caught up with the kids that were a huge influence on us during our INTERFET deployment. That night more celebrations. We eventually made our way back into Timor Leste and just a short drive to Balibo. Great accommodation, great, but sad history and a great night around the fire, drinking and telling stories over a few beers....whiskey and port We then departed for the Ermera District where once again we were welcomed into the very home that Konis Santana used as his safe house during the resistance movement. We also were introduced and welcomed into the safe house where Gusmão hid out prior to his arrest in Dili in 92. We met some very wonderful veterans, both male and female and was welcomed with a beautiful traditional lunch. We then headed to Gleno and finally back to Dili in preparation to welcome our group 3 into country and to prepare ourselves for the Dili celebrations to come. A highlight of our tour was the celebrations itself and also the welcome lunch and cocktails on HMAS Choules. It was at this time both group 2 and 3 departed Dili for Darwin and then to their homes, while that left only six of us left. We headed off to visit the eastern districts with the first stop Baucau which has a lot of resistance history. We then headed for Tutuala for a great stay on top of a mountain overlooking the beautiful view of the ocean. We then took a drive to the beach where myself, Mark, Pete and Dave took a small boat across to Jaco Island for a swim in the crystal blue waters. From Tutuala we headed to Brigadier General Falur’s guest house within the Viqueque region. We climbed two mountains, toured caves and was welcomed into their district with singing and a traditional Falintil feast. On the road again we headed for Same and the Riak Retreat. Mark and Pete donated their time for rendering a wall, digging holes and Mark with his medical training. We then headed to Hato Builico and checked into Ovalido Guesthouse for a very very cold nights sleep for our very early morning wake up for Myself, Mark and Pete’s assent up the highest mountain in Timor Leste (Mount Ramelau). What a great trek walking in the pitch dark and once at the top waiting for the sunrise. Although we were heavily clouded in we were able to take some pictures of the view as best we could. After we got back to the guesthouse we ate breakfast, packed our gear and had a very quick shower then headed off back to Díli. On our way we stopped for lunch at Project Montanha and was given a wonderful tour of what this project is and what it does. Seriously was the highlight for me Once we arrived in Dili we checked in to our hotel and showered and had our final dinner where we reminisced what we all got out of this trip and thanked mark for the outstanding once in a lifetime experience. We are now onboard the freedom bird heading back to Darwin where we will all disappear into the four winds to share our experiences with our own families. Our warmest regards and thanks go our to: Mark our tour organiser, Pete who helped Mark out and kept us on time and in check, Manny our tour guide and head driver and all his drivers and last but not least Thruppy who supplied the tour with all the cars. Without you guys this Anniversary Tour would not have been the same and much more expensive. Thank you
08.01.2022 Day 14: Tuesday 24 September 19 Reception on top of Mount Watulawa after the climb.
08.01.2022 Day 14: Tuesday 24 September 19 Sparrow Force and Timorese Gorilla clandestine operations against two separate invasion forces cont: This is a second, but more ...arduous, climb to the top of mount watulawa. Both clandestine operations were conducted here and in particular they use the elaborate cave systems in this mountain for cover and shelter. General Falur organised for his entire community to welcome us. Not only did we receive our welcome, they escorted us up the mountain,a tour in the caves and then to the top where they performed a second welcome and likened us INTERFET to that of the WW2 Sparrow Force decades before. We then descended to what could only be described as a complete WOW factor. The entire community put on a feed that was a traditional FALINTIL gathering.
03.01.2022 And that’s a wrap. What an absolute whirlwind of a tour. A special thanks needs to out to Manny Napoleon from Manny Timor Tours who did an amazing job of looking after our group over the last 18 days. Without Manny and his team this trip would not have been the overwhelming success it was. For those of you thinking of visiting Timor Leste I would highly recommend booking your tour through Manny.
02.01.2022 Day 14: Tuesday 24 September 19 Same: HMAS Voyager WW2 Loss of HMAS Voyager... Military History 25 SEP 1942: World War II and HMAS Voyager is grounded and destroyed at Betano Bay, Timor. Voyager brought the 2/4th Independent Company to Timor to reinforce Australian troops already on the island. The ship came close in shore to land the troops but ran aground. The Australians were left with no option but to destroy it. More than three years previously this bay had been the site of dramatic events that ultimately ended with the scuttling of the ship. When the Japanese invasion force swept across Timor in February 1942 the defenders of the island outpost were quickly overwhelmed by the rapid Japanese attack. However, the men of the 2/2nd Independent Company melted into the mountains to wage an effective guerrilla war against the occupying Japanese. The isolated Australians were able to re-establish contact with Darwin on 20 April 1942 by constructing a radio dubbed Winnie the War Winner. Back in Australia the decision was made to maintain the harassing guerrilla force on Timor, and a regular program to resupply the troops was established. It was recognised that fresh troops were required to continue the fight and HMAS Voyager was tasked with inserting 600 members of the 2/4th Independent Company and supplies into Timor while evacuating 400 men of the original force. HMAS Voyager arrived in Betano Bay and anchored half an hour before sunset on 23 September 1942. To make the most of the fading light, the troops were ordered to disembark immediately. This would prove to be a fatal mistake for the Voyager; within minutes it was realised that a strong tidal current was pushing the ship parallel to the shore. The collapsible boats, made from canvas and plywood, were rapidly filling with troops directly above the portside propeller. Captain Robison urgently needed to manoeuvre the ship into deeper water using the port engine, but he waited 17 minutes for the troops to get clear, as he feared if the port engine were to start it would suck the men into the propeller. Once the engines were started Voyager had nowhere to move, and within a minute was stuck fast on the beach. From anchoring to the eventual grounding of HMAS Voyager, only 23 minutes had elapsed. The rest of the night and the following morning were taken up with frantic attempts to dislodge the ship, but to no avail. The decision was taken at noon to abandon all attempts to free the ship, as by this time sand had surrounded the propeller and ship’s hull. The efforts of the independent companies and Voyager’s crew were now diverted to emptying the ship of all supplies and anything else that could prove useful. This operation was hampered by a number of Japanese air raids. Voyager was stripped of all supplies by 8 pm on 24 September and demolition charges were laid in the engine room, blowing holes in each side of the hull. Early the next morning Captain Robison and a member of the crew set fire to the ship, burning its remains. Voyager burned throughout the day, with the ship’s magazines intermittently exploding. That evening HMAS Warrnambool and HMAS Kalgoorlie evacuated the stranded Voyager crew along with a number of the wounded from the independent companies. Today we were lucky enough to get to the beach during low tide to see first hand the last known visible remains of HMAS Voyager. When the Voyager was blown pieces of the ship were scattered to the four winds and today at low tide you can see a piece of one of its engine blocks buried deep into the soft sand of the bay floor. Another fantastic day marked with Australian history
01.01.2022 Day 16: Thursday 26 September 19 Trekking up Mt Ramelau aka Mt Tatamailau in the central ranges of Timor Leste/ East Timor. This trip has taken us through windi...ng roads climbing inland and the central ranges, passing the town of Maubisse. Preparing for the 3 hour trek to the summit this morning. We planned to watch the spectacular sunrise from the summit, but low cloud cover, prevailing wind and a chill factor below zero prevented us from getting better shots than we did. A beautiful statue of Our Lady was erected here by the Catholic Church during the years of Indonesian occupation, measuring 3 meters high. Tatamailau (Tetum: Foho Tatamailau), or Tata Mailau, sometimes referred as Mount Ramelau, is the highest mountain in East Timor and also of Timor island at 2,986 m (9,797 ft). The mountain is located approximately 70 km (43 mi) south of the capital Dili in the district of Ainaro. While East Timor was a Portuguese colony it was called the highest mountain of Portugal in the twentieth century, since the highest mountain of Portugal proper is of a more modest height. The name "Tatamailau" is Mambai-origin, the local language and means "Grandfather of all". "Ramelau" is the name of the massif of the mountain. The Tatamailau is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the subject of an annual pilgrimage commemorating the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on or around 25 March.
