British pattern desert goggles : Captain K M Sturtevant, 1 Health Support Battalion, INTERFET

Pair of painted and heavily chipped metal framed goggles with smoked glass lenses. There is no side arms but a brown cotton tie acts to hold the goggles to the wearers head. The frames of the lenses are extensively chipped, revealing a brass coloured metal underneath the dark green paint. Above and below each lense frame are four holes showing how the glass is clamped to the frame. Around the inside of the eye pieces is velveteen. There is a grey painted natural leather band linking both eyepieces together.

Goggles associated with the service of 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 Indonesian forces were withdrawn from East Timor.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.