AFTER three years in the Army Reserve, the dream of Dandenong’s Tupu Tanuavsa to be deployed overseas was realised last month.
Private Tanuavsa was sent to the Solomon Islands as part of the Australian Army’s Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
Since arriving in the Solomons, his role in the rifle company has been to train and support the local police in potential emergency situations.
The Australian Army’s RAMSI operation has been active in the Solomons for the past decade and Private Tanuavsa said he has been privileged to work with both colleagues and the local people.
“I think there’s a lot of benefits with being deployed here, but meeting other people and the connections you make in the Reserves has helped out a lot,” he said.
“The training here has been really different to what we get back at home. The jungle experience is something you can’t really learn in a classroom so it’s good to be able to learn new things in a different environment.”
Private Tanuavsa’s stay in the Solomons, however, will shortly come to an end as the Australian Defence Force has begun the process of redeploying personnel and equipment back to Australia.
The defence force’s decade-long stay in the country is drawing to a close as The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force no longer requires its support.
The successful stint will mean local police will act largely independently.
Private Tanuavsa said he enjoyed his time helping others in the Solomons and was looking forward to come back to play with the Melbourne University rugby team.
All ADF personnel are scheduled to return to Australia by the end of September.
