MILITARY personnel from Papua New Guinea, Australia and partner nations are currently in East New Britain as part of Operation Render Safe, a multinational mission led by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to locate and dispose of unexploded ordnance from World War II.
Captain Jeffrey Sios, a Papua New Guinean Australian and the Logistics Officer for the operation, has returned to his home province to support this important work. Currently serving with the Australian Army’s 20th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Squadron Group in Queensland, Captain Sios is performing a key role in coordinating the movement of personnel and equipment for the operation.
Growing up in East New Britain, Captain Jeffrey Sios spent countless afternoons exploring creek beds with his cousins, climbing through bushland and playing in waterways that cut through the province’s volcanic landscape.
Earlier this year, while conducting reconnaissance for Operation Render Safe, Captain Sios returned to one of those same creeks for the first time in years.
“We walked along a creek bed where my cousins and I used to play as kids, and some of the EOD boys pointed out like 10 or 15 unexploded ordnances,” Captain Sios said.
“We used to walk down this exact same place, and I had no idea any of this stuff was there. It’s close to the heart because I’m from here too, and hopefully it makes people want to come back and keep helping this area.” Captain Sios said.
This year’s operation brings together personnel from Papua New Guinea, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to safely dispose of unexploded ordnance identified during previous missions.