| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Bougainville |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL35149 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Headdress |
| Physical description | Metal, Plastic, Polyester cotton |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | China |
| Date made | c 1998 |
| Conflict |
PNG [Bougainville] (PMG), 1998-2003 |
Sun hat : Lance Corporal Poppy Wenham, Peace Monitoring Group
Description
Bright yellow wide brimmed sun hat with yellow chinstrap attached. The front has the logo for the Peace Monitoring Group - a blue circle with a white dove carrying an olive branch flying over the island of Bougainville. The word 'PEACE' is above the circle, with 'PEACE MONITORING GROUP' below the circle. A chinstrap attached to the hat has an adjustable plastic toggle. 'WEN636' is hand written in black ink on the band inside the crown.
History / Summary
Associated with the service of Lance Corporal Poppy Wenham who in the year 2000, was deployed as part of Operation BELISI - the Australian Army's commitment to the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) on Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.
The PMG was made up of of unarmed military and civilian personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu. Between May 1998 and August 2003, it played an important role in facilitating the peace process between Papua New Guinea and Bougainville, by monitoring the ceasefire, increasing awareness of the peace process and providing a neutral presence to assist the discussion of important issues regarding the future of Bougainville.
PMG personnel wore bright yellow shirts and hats so that everyone on the island was aware of their presence and to emphasise their passive role.