89 SAF personnel recognised for efforts in Australian bush fires, counterterrorism

SINGAPORE - When the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) crew was tasked to help with bushfire relief efforts in Melbourne, they just had about three days to prepare for the month-long operation.

The crew, consisting of 71 personnel, took off from Oakey, Australia, flying for two days in two CH-47 Chinook helicopters to reach the affected location.

They dived straight into the thick of action, flying up to eight hours daily.

They flew in hazy and changing wind conditions which made landing difficult.

The bush fires raged from August 2019 to March last year, razed more than 12,000,000ha - or an area about 170 times the size of Singapore.

Besides New South Wales, where the fires were most severe, the neighbouring Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory were also affected.

More than 2,400 homes in New South Wales were destroyed by the fires and left 26 people dead.

The RSAF personnel flew over 30 flights to ferry more than 260 persons and close to 73 tonnes of supplies during the operation.

For their heroic efforts, the crew, comprising pilots, aircrew and engineers from the Oakey detachment, were awarded the Overseas Service Medal (OSM) in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday (Dec 14).

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen was the guest of honour.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dr Ng commended the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel for their dedication and commitment to the operations.

“The then-Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, personally expressed how touched they were with our assistance... We were there, but to them it is their fire. They did not expect us to step up. It is not just our detachment stepping up, the energy we poured into it, the way we worked as if it was a fire in our own homes," said Dr Ng.

In total, 89 SAF personnel were awarded the OSM.

Eighteen medals were awarded to SAF personnel in recognition of their contributions to support the multinational coalition efforts to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, while 71 medals were awarded in recognition of contributions to support the Australian government's bushfire relief efforts.

The medals are given out based on the operations carried out in the year. Previously, they were awarded in September 2019 to recognise those who helped with the Palu tsunami relief operations in Indonesia in 2018, and those who trained more than 4,500 Iraqi troops in countering improvised explosive devices, using tactical weapons and combat tactics over nine months.

Lieutenant-Colonel Roy Chew, 44, former Oakey Detachment commander and mission commander for the bushfire relief operations, said that although the mission was challenging, it was rewarding as the gratitude from those they helped fuelled their passion and motivation to carry out their tasks.

"All these operations are important as we bring back all these experiences and the lessons learnt to incorporate it in our future training," added LTC Chew.

Fellow crew member, Military Expert 2 Gayathiri R. Thamilarasu, 37, an air force engineer who was in charge of logistics and equipment for the mission, said she saw the full impact of her efforts when engineers showed her pictures of the bushfire affected areas being helped by RSAF.

"I realised that our work made a difference to the people who live (at the affected areas). We were very happy to help the Australian community," she said.