19 December 2005
ADF medics help Pakistan earthquake victims

An Australian Defence Force medical team is working in Pakistan and Kashmir as part of a humanitarian mission to provide vital health care assistance to people affected by the 8 October 2005 South Asia earthquakes. The team has established a medical centre at the remote town of Dhanni, about 20km north-east of Muzaffarabad, on the Pakistan side of the Kashmir Line Of Control.

The team, of about 140 personnel, includes medical personnel, a command element, an aviation detachment and logistics and communication personnel. Four Black Hawk helicopters are deployed to provide essential transport and support tasks.

The helicopters give the ADF team the mobility to extend medical care from the central hub at Dhanni to assist a large number of people in the harsh terrain of the surrounding region who need medical attention as a result of the earthquake.

The Black Hawk detachment is primarily from the Australian Army 5th Aviation Regiment based in Townsville. The health and support personnel comprise members of the Army's logistic support force based at Randwick Barracks, Sydney; a Royal Australian Air Force primary health care team from Richmond, New South Wales; and personnel drawn from a range of units across Australia, including Reserves.

20051216adf8195319_004 Australian Defence Force medical personnel treat a sick child in the remote town of Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 16 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051216adf8195319_006 Major Kylie Fardell (left) and Private Kyle Potter treat a sick child prior to an aeromedical evacuation from the remote town of Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 16 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051216adf8195319_012 Australian and Pakistan soldiers assist locals to unload supplies for the Australian Defence Force medical centre in Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 16 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051216adf8195319_021 People wait for medical assistance at the Australian Defence Force medical centre in the remote town of Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 16 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051216adf8195319_022 Lance Corporal Daniel Goldburg chats with a Pakistani soldier at Camp Bradman at Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 16 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051217adf8195319_001 Signaller Sharon Roberts helps Private Sheyna Veal to wash her hair at the "Camp Bradman Hair Salon" in the remote town of Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 17 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051217adf8195319_004 Private Sheyna Veal shampoos her hair at the "Camp Bradman Hair Salon" in the remote town of Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 17 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051217adf8195319_007 Signaller Sharon Roberts (right) turns hairdresser to prepare her 'client', Private Sheyna Veal, for a wash and blow dry in the Australian Defence Force outdoor hairdressing salon at Camp Bradman in Dhanni, Kashmir. (Date taken: 17 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res
20051217adf8195319_014 Australian medical personnel load a sick patient onto a Black Hawk helicopter for an aeromedical evacuation from the remote town of Dhanni. . (Date taken: 17 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res	20051217adf8195319_018 Australian medical personnel carry a sick patient to an waiting Black Hawk helicopter for an aeromedical evacuation from the remote town of Dhanni. (Date taken: 17 December 2005) Low-Res | Hi-Res