| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR00285 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Letter, Serial |
| Maker |
Alloway, Kevin Shane Various |
| Place made | Australia: Queensland, Yeppoon, Somalia |
| Date made | 1993 |
| Access | Open |
| Related File This file can be copied or viewed via the Memorial’s Reading Room. | AWM371 93/0491 |
| Conflict |
Period 1990-1999 Somalia, 1992-1995 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
Alloway, Kevin Shane (Corporal, b.1965)
Description
Collection relating to the Operation Solace service of Corporal Kevin Shane Alloway, B Company, 1 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), Somalia, 1993.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Consists of a letter Alloway sent to his mother, Alma Saw, in February 1993 and two newspaper clippings from the Capricorn Coast Mirror. Alloway writes of how much he appreciates his family and thanks his mother for the recent "goodie-Box". He also comments on the support given to him by his family and his hometown of Yeppoon in Queensland, and writes that his section second-in-command, Lance Corporal Corbett, has been hospitalised with "small wounds". The two articles concern Alloway and 1 RAR's work in Somalia and the "Adopt-A-Soldier" initiative. The first, published on 22 January 1993, discusses Alloway's deployment with 1 RAR, briefly recaps his career in the Australian Army, and includes an interview with Alloway's mother, Alma Saw, who remarks on the lack of recreational activities and entertainment the Australians have in Somalia when off duty. The second article, from 18 March, discusses the efforts of Alma and her daughter (Alloway's teenage sister) to encourage the citizens of Yeppoon to "Adopt-A-Soldier" by writing to the men of 1 RAR. The article remarks that the initiative has been a success, with ordinary citizens writing with enthusiasm to previously unknown soldiers.
History / Summary
Shane Alloway deployed with 1 RAR to Somalia in January 1993 as part of Operation Solace. The deployment was part of Australia’s contribution to the multinational Unified Task Force (UNITAF), which was raised to establish an environment secure enough to conduct humanitarian operations in southern Somalia. According to the battalion's newsletter, 1 RAR received on ominous welcome: "As we waited for our cargo to be off-loaded from our Qantas Jumbo, shots rang out. They were not directed at us, but were a fitting welcome to Somalia." Based at Baidoa in south-central Somalia, the battalion was tasked with reducing violence and improving security in the local area.