New Caledonia 2006-2007

This series of pictures are from my latest tournant, this time in New Caledonia. Being the first real overseas mission that I am participating in since Gabon in 2004, it adds an extra touch of satisfaction as the location is so close to home in Australia .

The first series of photos are from the Challenge Noel 2006, a series of four sporting events (run/bike/swim, pulling a truck with a cord, volleyball and soccer) to determine which of the four sections (platoons) in our company has the best sportsmen. Despite our best efforts, our section did not win…

Then there are a series of photos from the Noel des Enfants (“Christmas for children”), a christmas activity for the many military families stationed in New Caledonia. Featuring a Santa Claus and Teletubbies that seemed to have dropped from the sky, the kids appreciated the excitement and spectacle.

The series titled Plongée de Nuit are some photos that a friend who dives on a regular basis took during a night dive here, off the island Amédée with its famous lighthouse. Featuring a marine and coral life that rivals that of Djibouti, diving in Caledonia is truly an experience not to be missed.

The Saut Tontouta series are photos from our first jump here in New Caledonia, near the international airport (and military airbase) of Tontouta. I confirm that the drop zone is much softer (and thus more comfortable) than the one in Calvi…

The Tournée en Provence series are photos from our week spent with a Caledonian tribe to the north-west of Poindimié, about 300km from Nouméa. Most of our activities are depicted in the photos: tasting the local delights (crickets, worms and other delicacies included), fishing and hunting with the locals (fishing being much more fruitful than hunting) and generally just absorbing the caledonian culture. The most memorable were the little children, who after a brief period of timidness quickly became our best friends after they discovered fantastic new toys like our string hammocks, cyalume glowsticks and night-vision goggles.

And finally, the series titled “Edelweiss Piraten” are photos of the (I should say “my”) group sniper, during our recent exercice to infiltrate a defense perimeter consisting of the entire 4 th section on surveillance using passive and active observation aids. We found the mountain creek at the bottom of a gully and used it to approach to within shooting range of the perimeter, the tall trees and leaves giving us complete cover from the thermal imaging cameras trying to “catch” us. During one of the pauses we took the series of photos together with our impromptu battle standard…

Sgt. Z.B.