| Accession Number | P04959.036 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Transparency |
| Maker |
Page, Timothy John |
| Place made | Pacific Islands: Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Honiara |
| Date made | 24 August 2003 |
| Conflict |
Period 2000-2009 Solomon Islands (RAMSI), 2003-2013 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
In the football stadium at Honiara, Solomon Islands, Captain (Capt) Graeme Rusell Henley (left), ...
Description
In the football stadium at Honiara, Solomon Islands, Captain (Capt) Graeme Rusell Henley (left), of the 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit (1 JPAU), talks with an unidentified Australian Federal Police (AFP) captain while Australian soldiers destroy weapons before a crowd of locals. The soldiers are members of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), whose aim is to bring peace and stability to the nation after a period of political unrest, ethnic tension and violence. In the first week of Operation Helpem Fren (pidgin for 'help a friend'), a nationwide gun amnesty was announced which ran for three weeks from 1 to 21 August 2003. As a result 3730 weapons were handed in, including 700 high powered military style weapons, many improvised or modified guns, and over 300,000 rounds of ammunition. The decision was made to publicly destroy the weapons to display RAMSI's commitment to ridding the nation of firearms. Capt Henley is a Vietnam veteran and has had nearly 40 years army, including the Australian Regular Army and the Army Reserve, and is now part of Operation Anode, the Australian Defence Force's contribution to RAMSI.