“Petore” Senior
and Junior serve in East Timor
by Belinda Ryan
Family connections are not uncommon within the defence
force, so for Private Ritchie Peters to follow his father Andy into the
New Zealand Army was no strange event.
But for both of them to be serving in East Timor at the same time
is a little more unusual, especially since Vietnam veteran Andy left the
Army 12 years ago. Andy now
works as a prison officer, and it is this job that brought him to East
Timor. Recently he met up
with son Ritchie in Suai.
Andy’s job as a prison officer is based in Baucau, 100 kms east of Dili, where for the past six weeks he has been helping to set up prison routines and procedures. He is also training local people to run the prison. Twenty three year old Ritchie is a rifleman with Support Company and is based in Suai, across the other side of the island from his father.
Prison
officer and Army veteran Andy “Petore” Peters takestime to catch up with his son Richard in Suai East Timor.Photo
credit: LAC Caroline Mitchell, NZDF
“It’s good to see that he’s still got it!” laughs
Ritchie. “I didn’t think
he would get out on a mission again after Vietnam.
I think that I worry about him being over here more than I worry
about myself, and Mum is the same!” he says.
Since Andy was in the Army for such a significant amount
of time, he is still remembered by some of the senior personnel in the
Battalion. His nickname was
“Petore” and this nickname has also passed to his son.
Being around the modern Army has also been an experience
for Andy, who says he has noticed a number of changes.
“They are still keen like we were, but a lot fitter, more
professional and better informed” he says.
One experience he is keen to avoid repeating is a dose of malaria.
“When I’m here I make sure that I take my anti-malaria tablets,
I don’t want to go through that again!” he says with a shudder,
remembering a nasty bout in Vietnam.
Andy says that the skills of patience and tolerance that
he learned during his time in the Army are also key skills when working in
a prison. When working with
inmates in facilities like his normal workplace of Paremoremo Prison, Andy
says the best thing is to “just treat them as people.
Over a period of time, you get a response.” Andy has had no problems with the inmates at Baucau and he
attributes this to a good rapport, and also to giving the inmates
something constructive to do. He
has started teaching english language classes for inmates as well as
prison staff. “If you do
those basic things, start communicating, you are on the way to building up
a form of trust.”
In New Zealand Andy has been involved in a youth group
for teenagers on the North Shore, he has been a facilitator for a
cognitive skills programme in prison and is also chairman of the Marae
committee at Waitaruke marae, near Kaeo in Northland.
Ritchie says that his Dad “is regarded as a kaumatua at
his marae.” While not a
fluent Te Reo speaker like his father, Ritchie has been trying to learn a
little bit more while he has been in East Timor.
The former Rosmini College pupil is currently four weeks
into his second trip to East Timor, having come over with Interfet in
1999. He says he has
benefited professionally from his prior experience, and but still
remembers his first time out on patrol in 1999.
“When you go out on your first task, you don’t know quite what
to expect, even though you’ve trained for every possible scenario,
you’re still nervous as!” he laughs.
Ritchie has enjoyed seeing the changes in East Timor
since last year. He particularly noticed that the temporary tarpaulin
roofing on the houses of the locals has been replaced by corrugated iron
since his last visit.
Being in East Timor showed Ritchie how much of life in
New Zealand he took for granted, and he says his outlook on life has been
changed by his operational experience.
“One of the most important skills is to keep an open mind.”
And the quiet pride shows in Ritchie’s father’s voice
when he says “Yes, Richard has matured a lot.”
ENDS
Story by BELINDA RYAN