Our People in SA
Ben Day - Belair siblings unite again in East Timor
Belair-born aviation officer Ben Day has made a habit of catching up with his sister Liz while on deployment with the Australian Defence Force, and her Timor chocolate cakes make the list as deployment highlights.
It’s Ben’s third deployment to East Timor, where Liz has been based for two years with the Australian Embassy working on the bilateral relationship between Australia and Timor.
“We also caught up in Croatia and Slovenia when I was serving in Bosnia, and Liz was at that time in the Vienna embassy,” he says.
Ben is in command of the East Timor Aviation Group 11, which is part of the International Stabilisation Force assisting the East Timor and United Nations police maintain stability and security in the country.
It’s a change from his previous role as a cavalry officer working with light armoured vehicles.
“I transferred across to take advantage of the opportunity to learn to fly helicopters,” he said.
The move has paid off with some career highlights including flood relief tasking in Papua New Guinea after Cyclone Guba in 2007.
“I deployed with 12 hours notice and we flew out of Lae in Black Hawks to deliver flood relief supplies into the Popendetta region,” he said.
He also lists his six months in Bosnia as a highlight, but his career has also included study in the United Kingdom, battlefield tours of France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and adventure training in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
He’ll be heading to Adelaide for his 20 year school reunion upon his return to Australia, and is looking forward to catching up with his wife and daughter.
In the meantime, he says he’s enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with Liz while in Dili, and the feeling is mutual.
“Ben has been a great support to me in Timor, and he has managed to get a few chocolate cakes out of me in return to break up the mess food,” Liz says.
Ben is one of some 650 Australian Defence Force personnel now serving in East Timor with Operation Astute.