At rest (Camp Phoenix)

Here the soldiers are depicted in their downtime, the characteristic "hurry up and wait" rhythm of military activity, "...not the business side..." of their work in Timor-Leste. Whilst on deployment Australian soldiers are not allowed to consume alcohol and no alcohol is available on the bases. "One of the things that surprised me a lot in being in East Timor generally but in particular in being in these various camps, is that there's a lot of down time for these soldiers. And it's interesting, these are young men and they're on alert so they're there ... to do a job, they're more or less on call the whole time. But there are long periods where, in a sense, they have to amuse themselves." Jon Cattapan, AWM interview 8 August 2008

Camp Phoenix, Dili, is one of the more substantial bases as it is the ADF Headquarters in Timor-Leste. The background structure is a mess hall that mimics indigenous Timorese construction with a pole thatched roof and large open area underneath.