8 April 2008
Captain Geoffrey Faraday RNZAC and Major Theo Alexopoulos RNZALR have very different jobs in Timor Leste but both are adamant that one of the great undiscovered secrets of a deployment to Timor Leste is the chance to work with the F-FDTL, the Timorese Defence Force.
Major Alexopoulos is in Timor Leste as a military adviser to the F-FDTL and describes his role as being akin to the military version of a management consultant.
“I am a logistics officer, that’s my specialty, so I am working with the F-FDTL to cover everything and anything from the strategic to the tactical that relates to Logistics. I do some very basic, very practical things like stacking stores through to very high level, very theoretical things like policy development,” said Major Alexopoulos.
Theo credits a lot of his love for the job to his ability to get alongside the Timorese people and understand their culture which in turn has helped him better understand and meet their needs.
“To be a good adviser you have to be squared away militarily but there is another skill set that is really valuable over and above the core military stuff and that is the ability to get alongside and understand another culture.
“I love this work because it is not just about the military advice, you have to be able to speak the language and immerse yourself in the culture and understand it to understand the people and their needs within the broader cultural context.
“I grew up in Newtown, in Wellington which is a very cosmopolitan area and a real cultural melting pot. I attended secondary school at Rongotai College which was also a very ethnically and culturally diverse place. That background of home and school prepared me well for working with and understanding a new culture because in that environment you learn how to work together, you learn from other cultures and you learn how to get along."
These sentiments are echoed by F-FDTL Liaison officer Captain Geoffrey Faraday who works with the F-FDTL daily as one of the primary points of contact between the Timorese and the International Stabilisation Force.
“Mine is a great job because I love to work with the local people. To be effective and build a working relationship with them you have to understand who they are and where they are coming from. There is a common misconception held by many, but not all, Australian and New Zealand pers that as a former guerrilla force they are somehow backward,” said Captain Faraday.
“They are a guerrilla force but they are very good at what they know, they don’t necessarily do everything the same as we would do it but that does not make them any better or worse than us; it just means they are different and that is sometimes something you can only really understand by becoming part of their organisation and working with them.
“You have to know who they are and what their background is to know how to work with them, so it very important to take the time to get to know them and hear their stories,” said Captain Faraday.
Both Major Alexopoulos and Captain Faraday consider that the NZDF working with the F-FDTL is making a positive difference for the F-FDTL and for the country as a whole. Major Alexopoulos urges anyone who may be thinking about applying for a posting to work with the F-FDTL to do it.
“Many in New Zealand see this as a jaded deployment, it is not a “glamour” mission and when I was first offered this role I was uncertain about coming here for those reasons. Once I got a handle on the scope and nature of the job I was excited to be involved and I am so glad I am here because I am loving the challenge and diversity of the job and the rewards of the work we are doing,” he said.