Personal decontamination kit : Lieutenant P J Kimlin, HMAS Kanimbla

Australian military forces Decontamination Kit, Personal No 1 Mk I. The kit is unopened in its clear plastic packaging, and is stored within the green canvas respirator case (REL31871.002). Within the plastic packaging, the kit is wrapped in a brown paper envelope, which is stamped '03/02 R P U K' in black ink. Instructions printed in black on the outside of the envelope read '4230-99-960-8415 DECONTAMINATION KIT, PERSONAL No.1 MK1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE 1. Tear off edge of one sachet and take out pad. 2. Hold pad by inserting three or four fingers through the centre. 3. Rapidly blot area with the pad, then bang the pad on the suspect surface for about 30 seconds so as to cover the area liberally with powder. Follow this by rubbing with the pad to spread the powder over the whole area, especially into folds and creases in the skin, for example behind the ears and between the fingers. BLOT-BANG-RUB 4. Apply a similar procedure to boots, weapons and equipment using further pads where necessary. 5. Ordinary gloves should be discarded before starting decontamination. Re-decontaminate the hands repeatedly during personal decontamination, and as the last action always decontaminate the hands again. 6. Always be alert to the development of symptoms even after decontamination.'

Personal decontamination kit issued to Lieutenant P J Kimlin RAN whilst on active service in the Persian Gulf. Paul John Kimlin was born in Canberra in 1976, and joined the Royal Australian Navy as a direct entry pilot trainee in 1996. After completing his fixed-wing training as part of 175 Pilot Course, he went on to graduate from the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School in Canberra. He served with 723 Squadron, flying the Aerospatiale AS 350B Squirrel, before joining 817 Squadron, which operates Westland Sea Kings. From September 2000 to April 2001, Kimlin served with the United Nations in East Timor, and during 2003 he was embarked on HMAS Kanimbla for service in the Persian Gulf as second pilot of the attached Sea King helicopter N16-118, callsign 'Shark 07'. During the month of March 2003, this helicopter and crew set a squadron record by flying 126.4 hours, and also became the first RAN aircraft to land in Iraq following the commencement of hostilities. He returned to Australia in July 2003. After the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami off the Indonesian province of Aceh, HMAS Kanimbla, with its embarked helicopters, spent three months providing humanitarian relief. The ship was on its way home to Australia after this deployment when it was diverted to provide further humanitarian aid to the Indonesian island of Nias, which had been hit by another earthquake. Paul Kimlin, piloting Kanimbla's Sea King Helicopter 'Shark 02' was killed, together with another eight of the eleven RAN and RAAF personnel on the aircraft, when it crashed on Nias due to mechanical failure on 2 April 2005.