For Werribee veteran Richard Conn, Remembrance Day has personal significance that extends beyond his own service on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Two of his relatives, of whom were of great inspiration to him, served in World War I. His grandfather served in the Imperial Camel Corps across the Middle East and his great uncle was involved in the Gallipoli landings. Both young men set out with the promise of great adventures, but soon found themselves acquainted with the horrible realities of war.
Mr Conn, who is the Werribee RSL junior vice president, served in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in both the army and army reserves for a combined 43 years.
Mr Conn was deployed on operational service to Somalia in 1993 as part of the United Task Force (UNITAF) peacekeeping assignment.
Spending about four months in the volatile state, Mr Conn was a vehicle sergeant with Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME), entrusted with the responsibility of providing line maintenance and recovery support to the battalions.
With the operation primarily situated in and around the south-western city of Baidoa, the peacekeeping mission was the first active service deployment of Australian personnel since the Vietnam War.
Peacekeepers are tasked with preventing conflict, minimising violence and helping with the restoration of local governments, an assignment that is seldom simple in regions where insurrection and instability are inescapable realities.
“The most difficult part is earning the trust of the people themselves,” Mr Conn said.
He said the first step towards earning the trust of civilians is by restoring the local government, which allows local businesses to run without the fear of hostile factions and forces entering the scene and intimidating them.
“Then you meet with the locals and you talk with them and ask ‘what can we do to help you?’, ” he said.
“The main thing is to let them get on with their lives and feel safe in their community.”
Mr Conn’s experience of witnessing the loss of life, abject poverty and the struggle of many to access basic resources that are often taken for granted in developed countries is something he will never forget, but has given him a sense of appreciation for the freedoms and comforts found in Australia.
The Werribee RSL is inviting the community to attend its annual Remembrance Day service at the Werribee cenotaph at 11am on Monday, November 11.
The service will commence with a welcome by president Darryl Ryan that includes prayers and hymns, being followed by commemorative addresses from invited guests, and the reciting of the Ode of Remembrance, the Last Post, a minute of silence, the Reveille, the national anthem and a laying of wreaths.
At the conclusion of the service the Werribee RSL will be open for those who wish to attend.
Those unable to attend can still show their respects by observing a minute silence at 11am and by sporting a red poppy.
