INTERFET Baseball Cap : K M Sturtevant, 1 Health Support Battalion, INTERFET

Baseball style cap with a dark green cotton crown and mustard visor. A circular INTERFET embroidered patch is on the front of the crown, with the initials FST and the white outline of a bat superimposed over the island of Timor. On top of the crown is a circular metal piece with a mustard synthethic felt covering. The plastic visor is also covered with the mustard synthetic felt material. On the rear of the crown is embroidered 'KRISTY' in yellow text. On the inside rear of the crown is a white manufacturers tag with the manufacturer and size details, washing instructions and an 'Australian Made' logo. On the rear of the hat is a velcro adjusting strap, a rectangular piece of metal is attached to the end of this strap. Above the strap is a small black tab with a printed 'Australian' logo.

Baseball cap worn by Captain Kristy Michelle Sturtevant while deployed in East Timor as part of the International Force East Timor in 1999-2000. On 15 September 1999 the UN Security Council authorised a multi-national peace enforcement mission in East Timor (INTERFET), to restore peace and security and to facilitate humanitarian relief efforts. 7000 troops led by Australia secured East Timor, with the exception of the Oecusse enclave – which was secured in mid-October 1999. International relief efforts were put in place and displaced people were permitted to return to their communities. Indonesian forces were withdrawn from East Timor. On 20 October 1999 the Indonesian Parliament resolved to formally ratify East Timor’s separation from Indonesia allowing the UN Security Council to approve the establishment of a UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Captain Sturtevant was a Registered Nurse serving with the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps. She had served in Bougainville, as part of the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) from April to August 1998 with the Bougainville Combined Health Element based at Loloho. She served in East TImor from September 1999 to February 2000 with the Field Surgery Team (FST) Heavy, which was part of the 1st Field Hospital based at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney. During her time in East Timor, she was promoted from lieutenant to captain, and her unit at the time, the 1st Field Hospital changed its title to the 1st Health Support Battalion. The distinctive logo on the front of this hat is a variation of the well known International Force East Timor (INTERFET) badge. Superimposed over the map of East Timor is the bat emblem of the FST, which is known by the callsign 'Vampire' in the Australian Defence Force.