Brassard : Lieutenant S Leeming RAN, Peace Monitoring Group

Yellow cotton brassard featuring a screenprinted logo of the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG). Above this is an embroidered cloth patch with a full colour embroidered Australian flag, beneath which is the text 'AUSTRALIA' in blue cotton, on a Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) background. There are four pieces of velcro on the rear of the brassard.

Worn by Lieutenant Sam Leeming, while serving with the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) in Bougainville during 2001. The Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) operated on Bougainville from 1998 to 2003. The PMG comprised a mix of military and civilian personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu. They 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. The PMG was deployed in on 1 May 1998, taking over from the New Zealand-led Truce Monitoring Group (TMG) that had been in place since December 1997. Its headquarters were variously located at Arawa and Loloho in central Bougainville. It had teamsites and barebases across the island, including in the north (Buka, Wakunai), South (Tonu/Konga, Buin) and centre (Arawa, Sirikatau). Throughout its deployment the PMG Logistics Unit provided helicopter, land and sea transport, medical, dental, engineering, catering and supply support through its contingent based at Loloho. As the situation allowed, the PMG was drawn down from a maximum of around 300 personnel to 195, and then again to 75 - its strength at the time the PMG withdrew in August 2003. In total over 5,000 unarmed personnel, including over 3,500 Australian Defence Force personnel and over 300 Australian civilians, deployed with the PMG. Under Article 330(c) of the Bougainville Peace Agreement the parties to the peace process agreed that the PMG should withdraw around the middle of, and not later than the end of, 2002. Following requests from the PNG Government, Australia agreed to maintain the PMG beyond the end of 2002. Assessing the peace process to be sufficiently robust to warrant the withdrawal of its military contingent, Australia announced in February 2003 that its PMG contingent would cease operations on 30 June 2003, and withdraw shortly afterwards. This decision was supported by a similar announcement from New Zealand. On 30 June the PMG held a ceremony to mark the cessation of operations and hand over to the Bougainville Transition Team. The final contingent of the PMG withdrew in HMAS Tobruk on 23 August 2003.