Our People in QLD
Christopher Lee - Deployment is a dream come true for Munruben soldier
Munruben soldier Christopher Lee has always wanted to be in the Army.
As the youngest of six children, he says he was always playing soldiers and it came as no surprise to his family when he elected to join the Australian Defence Force.
“I was always pretending to be a soldier when I was a kid, and I think my mother was expecting it, so she has been very supportive,” he said.
Almost two years after joining the Australian Army, Christopher (19) is currently working in East Timor as an infantry rifleman with the International Stabilisation Force, which is assisting the East Timorese and UN maintain stability and security in the country.
“My role as an infantryman here is as part of a team, mainly patrolling. I sometimes work on the radio to maintain communications with the base,” Christopher said.
“Our job here is more about basic security, and when we patrol, we are talking to the locals,” he said.
“It has been good getting to see another culture. We’ve had to learn to talk to people we couldn’t normally understand, and it’s been an eye opener seeing how different things are in another country,” he said.
Christopher has also enjoyed the chance to keep fit as part of his job.
“Getting to the gym on base is the best part of the job. I get there most days, and I really like keeping fit and being able to do my job,” he said.
Learning to be part of a team while on operations has also been part of Christopher’s experience.
“I’ve had to step up to be a good team member, and think about doing things for my mates. You have to learn to tolerate living in really close proximity to other people,” he said.
Christopher is looking forward to a bit of leave and catching up with some music.
“It will be good to get to some music gigs and play some Guitar Hero, which is an X-Box game,” he said.
Christopher is one 650 Australian Defence Force personnel now serving in East Timor with Operation Astute.
The operation is part of the Australian Government's response to a request from the Government of East Timor to assist in bringing stability, security and confidence to the Timorese .