Documentary recalls service in East Timor
With his documentary airing on Anzac Day, a Gore man wants to remind people of the experience, service and sacrifice of the contemporary veteran.
Twenty-five years ago, Aaron Horrell took a video camera to his first deployment to East Timor because he said he knew they were going to be a part of history.
Last year, Mr Horrell commemorated that history by taking 15 veterans back to the place of the conflict and filming their emotional return for his documentary, Back to Timor .
In its largest deployment since Korea, New Zealand was part of the multi-national force sent to East Timor in 1999 after its people voted for independence from Indonesia.
After the referendum, devastation and violence erupted as pro-Indonesian militia tore through the island, systematically razing its towns to the ground.
Gore RSA president Bradley Bridgman said when he arrived in Timor-Leste in 1999, there was nothing but "scorched earth".
Mr Bridgman said the Timorese had fled their country when he first got there and his battalion worked to repatriate them back to their home.
He said by the time he left and Mr Horrell's battalion arrived, people were starting to get back to their normal lives but it was still a "hostile" environment.
It was in this environment in July 2000 where Private Leonard Manning was shot during an ambush by the militia, becoming the first New Zealand soldier killed in action since Vietnam.
A total of five New Zealand soldiers were killed during the deployment.
Mr Horrell said the Gore RSA helped to fund the three veterans' return to East Timor, while some of the others used their $1500 "travel warrants" which they are given to go back to a place where they served.
He said Community South Trust funded the rest.
"Probably 70% or 65% of funding came from Southland."
The veteran said the documentary highlighted the emotional and positive experiences his crew had in returning to the war-torn country they had served in.
He said it was touching for them to see how things had changed, that the country had healed, with the jungle regrown, but also how evidence of their presence remained.
This evidence ranged from physical details like a drawing he had left carved on a door of the old barracks to the locals saying "kia ora bro" and remembering their service.
Mr Horrell said he wanted his documentary to connect with veterans who did not get the chance to go, so they could experience the healing and appreciation, too.
He also said he wanted to use the documentary as a tool to remind the government of the sacrifices contemporary veterans made, not just those who fought in the world wars.
He wanted the documentary to remind people that we need to be doing more for these veterans, who often come back isolated by the things they have experienced.
"You created these veterans by sending them overseas, but you need to look after them a bit better once they come back," he said.
Mr Bridgman said his RSA invested in the documentary as he similarly wanted to draw attention to the plight of the returned servicemen, and to remind them of the services, support and community the association could provide.
• Back to Timor airs tomorrow at 5pm on TV3 and at the same time on RNZ's video platform.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
7 days ago
- 1News
Bali shooting: Police backtrack on arrest claim after Aus tourist killed
Two gunmen are on the run after allegedly killing an Australian tourist and critically injuring another in a Bali villa over the weekend. The suspects, both Australian, allegedly opened fire just after midnight on Saturday inside a private villa in the North Kuta region. It was earlier reported that one of the gunmen had been arrested, but Bali police have since clarified that no arrest has been made. Zivan Radmanovic, a 32-year-old father of six from Melbourne, was killed at the scene. His wife, Jasmine, had been in bed at the time and is understood to have witnessed the shooting. Sanar Ghanim was found badly beaten and shot multiple times. He remains in a critical condition under police guard at Kuta Hospital. ADVERTISEMENT Police say the two alleged gunmen fired at least 17 rounds before fleeing the scene on scooters. Witnesses described hearing thick accents as the attackers sped off. 'They tried starting the motor once… twice… three times it failed and then they sped off,' one local told the ABC. Another witness, who initially mistook the shots for something else, said, 'I thought it was a metal sheet falling hard… The sound was so loud – bang!' An Australian was killed and another has been critically injured following the shooting. (Source: 1News) It's still unclear what led to the deadly ambush. Investigators are yet to publicly confirm a motive but say no possibility is being ruled out. Radmanovic's grieving family is now calling for a full investigation, urging Indonesian authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
1News
16-06-2025
- 1News
Bali shooting: Alleged gunman arrested after Australian tourist killed
One of two gunmen on the run after allegedly killing an Australian tourist and critically injuring another in a Bali villa has been arrested. The suspects, both Australian, allegedly opened fire just after midnight on Saturday inside a private villa in the North Kuta region. Zivan Radmanovic, a 32-year-old father of six from Melbourne, was killed at the scene. His wife, Jasmine, had been in bed at the time and is understood to have witnessed the shooting. Sanar Ghanim was found badly beaten and shot multiple times. He remains in a critical condition under police guard at Kuta Hospital. Police say the two alleged gunmen fired at least 17 rounds before fleeing the scene on scooters. Witnesses described hearing thick accents as the attackers sped off. ADVERTISEMENT 'They tried starting the motor once… twice… three times it failed and then they sped off,' one local told the ABC. Another witness, who initially mistook the shots for something else, said, 'I thought it was a metal sheet falling hard… The sound was so loud – bang!' One of the suspects is being questioned at Badung Police Station following the fatal shooting. A second alleged gunman remains on the run. It's still unclear what led to the deadly ambush. Investigators are yet to publicly confirm a motive but say no possibility is being ruled out. Radmanovic's grieving family is now calling for a full investigation, urging Indonesian authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
Newsroom
16-06-2025
- Newsroom
The Boy in the Water Season 4 open now
The latest episode in the new season of hit podcast The Boy in the Water is now available for non-subscribers, with subsequent episodes to follow every few days. The Boy in the Water is an award-winning investigative podcast about a small town harbouring a big mystery, led by Newsroom's investigations editor Melanie Reid. Season 4 of The Boy in the Water will be covering every section of the coroner's findings into the death of Gore toddler, Lachie Jones. Listeners can subscribe to DELVE to get early and ad-free access to each episode as it is released, with episodes released to non-subscribers a few days later. The Boy in the Water won best podcast and best investigation at the 2024 Voyager Media Awards, Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 NZ Podcast Awards, and Best True Crime podcast at 2025 NZ Radio and Podcast Awards. It has garnered more than 2.5 million downloads. If you would like to support our work, you can sign up to our new podcast channel DELVE+ through Apple Podcasts here and for Android and Spotify listeners here.
