CTF 150’s Kangaroo Hop Home for Charity
February 6, 2020 - Defence Stories
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Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand members of Combined Task Force 150 participate in the Naval Support Activity Bahrain “Jingle Bell 5k Run/Walk” on 3 December 2019.
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Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Commander Tim Quadrio, swims in the Naval Support Activity Bahrain Biathlon on 13 December 2019. The biathlon consisted of a 500 metre swim followed by a 3 km run.
Australian, Canadian and New Zealand military members deployed on Combined Task Force 150 are joining other nations to raise funds for those affected by the Australian bushfires.
Whilst deployed to Bahrain on Operation MANITOU, Royal Australian Navy personnel within Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) and other nations are eager to do their part for the communities back home, affected by the Bushfire Emergency.
Australia assumed command of CTF 150 on the 05 Dec 19 within the Combined Maritime Forces coalition construct, with the aim to disrupt terrorist activities in the maritime environment. Although focused on the mission at hand, many military within the team have friends and family living the harsh reality of the Bushfire Emergency back home.
In an effort to raise funds to support those in need, CTF 150 personnel (including the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy) are conducting a number of fundraising activities to support the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Disaster Appeal.
One such activity is “The Kangaroo Hop Home for Charity”.
This activity is for the team of 28 personnel to walk, run, cycle or swim the equivalent distance of their way back to Australia by the time the deployment is over. The distance required has been calculated based upon the need to not only reach the shores of Australia, but to assist our shipmates from Canada and New Zealand to get home first.
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Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Commander Tim Quadrio (Left), Royal New Zealand Navy Leading Electronic Warfare Specialist Matthew Fletcher (Centre), and Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Mitchell Vines (Right) with the t-shirts they received for completing the Naval Support Activity Bahrain Biathlon on 13 December, 2019.
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Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Mitchell Vines runs in the Naval Support Activity Bahrain Biathlon on 13 December 2019. The biathlon consisted of a 500 metre swim followed by a 3 km run.
Operation “Beaver Bypass” and “Kiwi Drop” will require members to follow the most direct route from Bahrain to Halifax, Halifax to Auckland and Auckland to Sydney, giving the team a combined total of 27,022 km to travel. The target is approximately 7.5 km/day each member is required to complete. The target is designed to encourage the team to challenge themselves physically whilst doing so for a great cause.
“Many members within the CTF 150 team have friends and family back home who are currently living the harsh realities of this bush fire crisis. Communities of people are struggling and many of our serving colleagues (also from New Zealand and Canada) are working tirelessly to assist those in need. Even though we are deployed on the other side of the globe, we are keen to assist in any way possible.” Commander CTF 150, Commodore Ray Leggatt.
The Australian Red Cross has launched a Disaster Appeal to support communities across Australia affected by the devastating bushfire crisis. The Disaster Appeal will allow the Australian Red Cross to provide a sustained level of support to evacuees and emergency personnel as efforts transition into the recovery and building phases of this disaster.
The following fundraising page has been created and donations raised go directly to the Australian Red Cross in March 2020.