Thread: Employment Opportunities

What a thread, what stories, what a world that we don't see.
Coffee cup is stone cold, staff turning off lights, people going home - Where did the afternoon go.
A quick lunchtime check of a strange named thread - "Employment Opportunities" indeed;
devoured a whole afternoon.
I've got a stiff neck, busting for a pee, but I couldn't stop reading.
Fantastic stuff.
I've often said that every Australian should be sent overseas for at least 2 years before the age of 25 or so.
Thanks so much for sharing.

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

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I just watched the film Balibo and read Tony Maniaty's (ABC Journo who broke the story about the 5 missing journos) book about going back there 30 years after he left to write about the filming of the movie!

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Hi Ian,

Not yet had the opportunity to see the Balibo film. A very good friend of mine, Mick Stone, was apparently, in the opening scene to the film. Mick has now appeared in two 'Australian Stories' on the ABC and is, the personal aide to President Ramos Horta. Horta made a personal request to the Prime Minister for Mick to be released from his Army service to fulfill the role.

I included an article earlier on about Mick.

Cheers,

BBC

Dear All,

Just got my feet on the ground here in Mogadishu today, after a memorable flight in a crop duster full of ammo, passing over Lake Victoria and between Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya.

It has been a very full day. Things are certainly very different here. I am safe and secure within a guarded compound.

More to follow.

Cheers,

BBC

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

I am literally Gob Smacked by this thread!

I work in the media, had a ute load of Fijian Rebels empty their M16s over my head and then got chased by a horde of 200 machete wielding bad boys which was followed closely by my exit from said theatre! (The other crew members were on the scene in Dilli a year before when the footage of the guy getting chopped to death with a machete were filmed in 1999) I really did not like that background sense of raw danger, sweating late night road blocks to get the footage out and having no idea whom to trust! And we are talking about a **** weak Pacific holiday spot here...

Just as a side note, your last comment i would be a bit careful.
Look up the Fijian solders who were attached to the NZ 3rd div in the pacific.
fist Rambuca? ( aussie PM to Kiwi PM, do we have a military solution. Kiwi PM to aussie PM **** off are you mad!!!)
second, the little bald one with the same name as a good kiwi beer. look over his shoulder, his MA, now his story is
rag head land, 200 Colombians ( blue) are replaced by 12 fijian ( blue) our mate is CO. next day 3 mercs full of ragheads ( abreast) power in. Rules are " no pointy ends to the bad guys until they go loud first" Columbians were used to this and just stood aside as the motorcade powered though and around there CP. not so MR MA. stand in the middle of the road arms crossed, his boys a couple of meters back do the same. ragheads confused come to a screaming stop. Boss rag head bounces up and down flapping off. MA stands firm " need to check vehicles. now MA is still standing firm but boss raghead is got a chrome 1911 at his head as the mercs unload AKHs and Local FA. Bang raghead on the ground broken jaw and eye socket, all other raghead leaking one other fijian clipped. MA got nice bit russian cannon to hang around his neck.

fiji major income, tourism, second largest income UN

Coming into my 2nd week behind the wheel here in Mogadishu and...what a head spin it has been. Reflecting back on Tarin Kowt...TK was a walk in the park!

This is a real challenge, living on the edge of an airstrip, within the prolific thorn bush vegetation that blankets the perimeter of the airfield. living in amongst the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) who hold the airport base along with the Burundian 'Forca Defesa Nacional' (FDN) who occupy the University and the Academy Bases within Mogadishu itself.

My job is to support the AMISOM (Africa Mission Somalia) Peacekeeping Force of the African Union. Developing World troops deployed in one of the longest running conflict areas in the world.

My younger brother was here in UNOSOM in 1993 with 1 RAR in Baidoa.

My job involves moving in all the required logistics by air and sea, and procuring what can be gained locally...some foodstuffs, charcoal, diesel, petrol, thats about it. Most is flown in from Uganda or comes in by ship from Kenya.

I have 5 people currently working with me in our management and control of local contractors and suppliers. We also have the repair and maintenance of the wheeled armoured vehicle fleet of Samils/Casspirs/Mambas. The US Dept of State has been funding all this until UNSOA (United Nations Support Office AMISON) assume the mandate with effect 01 January 2010...yeah...guess where I'll be for New Years Eve????

Experience to date has been in getting on the ground and then getting my head around the undertaking, appreciating how things have been done and...most importantly..building relationships.

I have so many numbers in my phone...from the Force Commander, General Mugisha, down. Great people, all of them. Doing it hard, as only Africans can, and doing it for 12mth rotations.

Both the Ugandans and Burundians are friendly gregarious people...and...proud of what they are doing...all on a shoestring.

Last weekend they celebrated the 47th year of Ugandan Independence..yeah...I never knew I was older than the independent Uganda either! The occasion was celebrated by a dinner in the Officers Mess, to which I was invited and was sat at the top table between the Force Commander and the Deputy Force Commander....very esteemed!

This week I was able to get out into the city and take a armoured vehicle convoy up to the Burundian Compound to make an appreciation of what we are supporting...was well received and sat for lunch with the FDN Contingent CO...my Portuguese has come in handy with being half able to comprehend what is being said in French...and some Swahili for making greetings is always handy....Jambo, Jambo..Mzuri.

Coming through the city i do not think I have yet seen such a devastated, destitute, poverty stricken metropolis...Kabul seemed almost modern in comparison..and no, I forgot my camera..I was too busy loading myself into my ballistic jacket and helmet, with M4 and 9mm Glock, then strapping myself into one of the seats inside a Casspir.

Plenty of unrest in town today, which prevented our fuel deliveries..maybe tomorrow...the supplier of medications to the hospital literally lost his head...he was decapitated in one of the market squares earlier yesterday...and, despite the threat environment, two Swiss journalists turned up on a civvie flight from Kenya without any visa applications (not that I even had my passport to come into town..it is still in Kampala getting a business visa in it...) and were refused entry on the grounds of safety...they are spending a hard, unfed, lonely night in the terminal.

Talk about not needing visas...the Deputy Force Commander....a Burundian whose name just now escapes me...has formally invited me out to visit with the Burundian Military in Bujumbura (who else knew the capital of Burundi???) and go view gorillas in one of their training areas...I asked him...."and what will I need to do to get a Visa Sir?"...he laughed.

Well...havn't had much thought to be deliberately taking photos until this time but, here are some photos of the flight into Mogadishu from Entebbe, over Lake Victoria and Kenya, flying between Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro, down to the Somalian Coast.

The landing approach was made at wave top height. The plane was a cropduster and me and another bloke were the only passengers along with a load of small arms ammo.

A tight fit:



Lake Victoria with the airport at Entebbe...yes..that place that the Isrealis went into to rescue their own...all that time back...I'll get some photos of the terminal where the hostages were held. It is now President Museveni's private terminal.



Somwhere over Kenya..unfortunately, there was a lot of cloud cover which covered Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya:



The Somali coast somewhere near Kismayo:





Turning into the approach:



and what seemed very close to wave top:



Lined up:



The terminal building with the suburbs of Mogadishu behind:





The immigration formalities were simpler because I did not have a passport.

The following photos were taken when I went over to the coast to see if we could see if a ship was making an approach into the port. Quite an impressively rugged coastline, with constantly pounding surf.

Looking south:



Looking out over the Indian Ocean towards WA:



Looking north towards the port of Mogadishu:








Much more to follow...I have to get serious with the recording of this on camera.

....wrap their bottom lip over their nose?

Probably the best photos of the two ugliest blokes in Mogadishu:





He is quite an intelligent man but, uses his facial gymnastics to attract attention. He hangs around the airport in some capacity attached to the Airport Management....he wants $2 from me for the photos...and yes...I'll cough up!!

Been very busy here, flat out most days, chasing between the Ugandan and the Burundi forces supplying fuel, charcoal, repairing all their armoured vehicles, moving ammo, stores, and people with the loading and unloading of planes everyday.

Living amongst the thickest thornbush you could imagine, beside the runway, and across from the beach. Each day is brilliant equatorial sunshine, hot and humid.

The President of the Transitional Federal Government left from the airport last Thursday, 22 Oct 09 and the locals gave him a farewell to be remembered....6 x 82mm mortars fired at the Airport....missed as usual. Then the Ugandans returned fire 5 fold...quite a noisy morning.

Working here, and making do, makes Afghanistan look like part of the developed world.

More photos of people etc. to come.

Hi BBC,
Impressive insight into your locale, as usual.

Keep Safe,
Peter

Busy,busy, busy...in between trying to do the day to day of unloading/loading 1-2 aircraft every 2nd day....still socialising my way into the AMISOM and emerging UN organisation.

I have my phone full of numbers from General Mugisha, the Force Commander, and both the Burundian and Ugandan Contingent Commanders, right down to LT Aubejere the Fuel LT....I have to deal at all levels.

Also trying to clean up the old site, build a new wksp, clear our new accommodation site, repair the armoured vehicle fleet, ensure the supply of water for 5000, supply all POL's, charcoal (the standard cooking fuel here in Africa), flying in rotations of troops, 15t of all types of ammo per day last week...and medical supplies...and just finished the construct and commissioning on a new FM Transmitter Tower....just a few things to keep me entertained.

Afghanistan was a holiday in comparison...but here...the people are just great. Employing some locals with whom we could not survive and do business without....the same sort of reliance I had in Tarin Kowt.

The transmitter tower on it's way up. We had Kenyan contractors come in to deliver..great operators...but not quite what you'd call to standard in Australia...didn't even bring a torque wrench with them!



This is one of the charcoal contractor's trucks. Believe me, more trucks than not, are like this in Somalia. Up in the city I even saw one being towed by a set of 4 donkeys...with a load on the back...20 or more years of conflict will do this...



This is the bird, an AN12 we were flying in 15t of ammo per day last week...a mixed crew of Georgians/Kygrz's/Uzbeks...my Russian from Afghanistan was an icebreaker...



Our local cook...that is henna colouring his hair.



The local team..



The rotation off-loads...the well fed looking one is one of my US employees..



We are the AMISOM Forces' people movers as well..usually in a L100/C130 or, at the moment, a 737.



WHAT can you say....!


Sighted this young lad on one of the streets just out side the airport complex...I suggested via my 'Terp' that he might be better not walking around like that.