SIG Marty Gleave brings the flag down for one of the last times as Australian soldiers prepare to pull out in the coming weeks / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph
DIGGERS lower the flag over Camp Phoenix in Dili, marking the setting of the sun on one of Australia's longest and most significant military deployments.
The ceremony signifies that the world's first new democracy of the 21st century, one of the poorest countries on the planet, faces a new dawn.
Thirteen years after leading the first international forces into war-torn East Timor, the last Aussie troops have begun the final phase of withdrawal from the dusty streets of Dili, leaving behind the smiling faces of a grateful people.
Within weeks, Australia's defence role in the new democracy of Timor Leste, one which redefined our role as a regional peacekeeper, will come to end when the last of 300 army, navy and airforce personnel return home.
Today the people of this start-up nation will also farewell the Australian Federal Police contingency attached to the UN.
East Timorese kids playing with the Australian flag / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph
Acting commander of the Joint Task Force 631, Mandon Page, said it was a sad day for the remaining troops at Camp Phoenix, most of whom would be home before Christmas.
They will miss the laughing children who mob them in the streets, and the men and women of the resistance who fought for east Timor's independence.
"This is the end of an era. It's sad - we always knew we would be drawing down," he said..
"But this is one of the longest deployments of the ADF, if you include INTERFET (International Force for East Timor).
"But they can now stand on their own feet and it is time for us to step back. There is a sense of sadness on both sides. It really does feel like the end of an era."
It has been a difficult mission, largely under the radar of many Australians, but one that has been instrumental in helping create a country of one million people less than an hour's flight from Darwin.
Often overlooked is the role played by Australia's women in uniform, who make up almost 10 per cent of troops on the ground in East Timor - and 30 per cent of the AFP contingent's officers.
Lance Corporal Peta Reeves said a special bond had developed between the troops and locals - and also among the 35 female soldiers.
"It's great to have so many women here, we go on girls' nights out," she said.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr at Camp Phoenix in Dili / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph
"We are treated no differently, although we have different skills. But we are soldiers. And the stigma is slowly being lifted."
She said the most rewarding part of the operation in Timor was the relationship that Australian forces had built with the East Timorese people: "I was out a couple of weeks ago a man came out of his home in tears and thanked me for being here. It was a really moving experience."
More than 5500 Australian troops led the first international force into East Timor in 1999 as the country descended into civil war following its declaration of independence from Indonesia.
The ADF has had boots on the ground ever since.
Now, with a functioning military, police force and successful democratic elections in July, the East Timorese are ready to stand on their own feet.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr yesterday said Australians should not forget the significance of our contribution to the creation of Timor Leste. Extending an invitation to the country's Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, to join the Commonwealth, Mr Carr described Australia's role in Timor as one that was instrumental in Australia being elected to a seat on the UN Security Council: "Societies that have been through savage conflict often lapse back into it in seven years. We think the peace building and nation building here has been robust enough to steer these people and this country forward.
"Our role has been very important. It's been a text book example of peace building."
East Timorese kids playing with the Australian flag / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph
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