Whose Name We Share

59 In 2006, riots in Guadalcanal were sparked following the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister amidst allegations the outcome was fixed through under the table bribery and other insinuations. This inevitably saw the justification of bolstering the commitment on the ground in Guadalcanal and a company sized infantry group was required to deploy. Issues surrounding colonialism were still deeply felt during this time of unrest and criticisms against the Solomon Islands government flew harshly, some even stating the government were facilitating Australia’s domination of the Islands. He resigned just 8 days after the election before MPs were able to cast a vote of no confidence, which is a testament to unrest present at all levels in the Solomon Islands communities. The Regional Assistance Mission To Solomon Islands (RAMSI) increased its numbers from the 20 th April 2006 to provide a further 200 troops and 30 police officers. The 101 st Battery assisted by filling this commitment in May 2006 until the 103 rd Battery relieved them in September. The role they played included joint training and security patrols with the AFP and Solomon Islands Police. Each platoon conducted independent remote island patrols supported by the AFP’s rotary wing assets. They assisted local police with security, medical support and transport related taskings. In December the battery were relieved by a Reservist Infantry Company, specifically 25/49 Royal Queensland Regiment, returning home in the new year of 2007 and taking a well-earned break. Despite working over the Christmas break, however, the year of 2007 had only just begun. The battery would attend exercise Southern Reach in Cultana via train. Shortly after that, in May, the battery would deploy again on an exercise in Mt Bundey where they would receive and test its first Bushmaster as the BCP. During this exercise they also conducted live firing / coordination with the use of a UAV.