Our People in VIC
Elly Poyntz - Echuca Soldier in Sumatra Rescue
There are three things that amaze the small children in villages surrounding Padang in West Sumatra: firstly, any Australians in uniform, secondly, blond hair and, thirdly, westerners that speak Indonesian.
Echuca’s Elly Poyntz, 22, does all three and so she is the centre of children’s attention wherever she goes.
For the Australian Defence Force personnel based in Padang and the surrounding areas of West Sumatra, Elly’s language skills are essential.
Elly, now an Army medic with the rank of Lieutenant, has been deployed as a linguist so the Australians can talk in Indonesian to local authorities, administrators and people on the street – or even just ask where it hurts.
Elly joined the Army aged 18 straight after Echuca High and studied Indonesian and Chemistry at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.
“I really enjoyed my time at ADFA; we’d all travel on our breaks and the social scene was excellent,” she said. “It’s a great place to meet people and make new friends.”
But it was only during the last phase of her officer training that she decided to become a Medical Corps Officer.
“It’s been great to work in the Health Support area,” she said. “One of our jobs is to coordinate and plan the placements of the necessary health assets around the battle-space to support the soldiers in the field and the medical evacuation plan.”
Not knowing if her Indonesian study would come in handy, she was surprised to be deployed in her first year out of RMC to go with the advance medical assessment team into Sumatra.
“It’s been excellent expanding my vocabulary and language skills,” LT Poyntz said.
“To be able to take the local’s questions and concerns and listen to them, so that we are able to help them the best way we can – It’s enabled me to help with the health care aspects by translating for the doctors and the patients.
“When we first arrived at the location where we’ve now established our primary health care clinic, I asked if they played soccer,” she said.
“Next minute there were three soccer balls and what seemed like hundreds of kids playing soccer with us. They smiled and laughed all the time, despite the recent devastation.”
LT Poyntz is looking forward to returning home following her deployment and spending some time with her partner, Sven, catching up with family and going travelling on holiday.
“We’re going to travel to South Africa,” LT Poyntz said. “The holiday will be especially nice following what’s been a particularly busy but rewarding year at work.”
Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen are working day and night to provide health care, purified water, and to deliver aid supplies to the people of Padang and the surrounding areas of West Sumatra.