Tonga joins Defence Cooperation meeting in Australia [1]
Friday, October 7, 2011 - 13:26. Updated on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 09:54.
THE Commander of the Tonga Defence Services, Brigadier General Tau'aika 'Uta'atu is currently on a visit to Australia to attend the Annual Defence Program Meeting to be held on October 7-8 in Canberra.
Lt Commander Solomone Savelio reported from Australia, the visit is at the invitation of Australia's Chief of Defence Force, General David Hurley and financed by the Australian Government under the Defence Cooperation Program.
Brigadier 'Uta'atu arrived in Brisbane on October 3. He was welcomed by Major General Richard Burr on a visit to Enoggera, the Division 1 Headquarter, that trains soldiers in Australia for domestic and international operations. Division One headquarter also took part in the Pacific Partnership 2011 to Vava'u.
On October 5 he visited the Randwick Army Barracks in Sydney and observed how peacekeeping soldiers were trained for deployment on United Nations missions. He met there the leaders of the 39th Personnel Support Battalion and the Peace Operations Training Centre including Lieutenant Col Robert Simpson, the Commanding Officer of the 39th Personnel Support Battalion. Tongan officers had studied the Military Observers Course at this institution.
He also watched the TDS rugby team play against the Australian Defence Rugby Team and lost 21-17 on October 5 before visiting Victoria Barracks where he met the new Australian Forces Commander Major General Michael Slater.
On October 6, he visited the Navy Base HMAS WATSON where Tongan Navy officer Sub Lt Ametisi Fonokalafi is studying.
In Canberra he was to visit Duntroon Royal Military College where two female cadet officers OCDT Katoa and OCDT Veikune are studying.
Brigadier General 'Uta'atu is accompanied by Lt Col Kuli Fakalolo, Lt Commander Solomone Savelio and SWO1 Sione Kava.