An Honour to Serve
Over 2 to 3 September the following RNZAF personnel were honoured at a ceremony hosted by His Excellency the Governor General of New Zealand, the Honorable Anand Satyanand, at Government House, Wellington.
SQNLDR Timothy Evans, RNZAF, Base Ohakea (Distinguished Service Decoration)
No. 3 SQNLDR Tim Evans.
SQNLDR Evans served as the commander of a helicopter detachment and support elements that deployed to Timor Leste from April to July 2007, as part of the New Zealand Defence Force contribution to the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force during which time he developed a close working relationship with the ANZAC Aviation Group. His unit conducted a significant number of aero-medical evacuations of Stabilisation Force and United Nations personnel, both by day and night and always responded in a remarkably short time. His detachment also provided support during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections by transporting election and party officials and ballot boxes in and out of precarious landing zones by day and night, sometimes in adverse weather conditions. The work of SQNLDR Evan’s detachment was greatly appreciated by the government of Timor Leste and the United Nations mission.
SQNLDR Shane Cole, New Zealand Cadet Force, Christchurch (Queen's Service Medal)
SQNLDR Shane Cole.
For services to the New Zealand Cadet Forces. SQNLDR Cole has served with the New Zealand Cadet Forces for over 20 years. He has trained over 1,000 cadets, established an annual regional exercise for cadets of the New Zealand Cadet Forces and the Order of St John in Canterbury, has managed a number of residential training courses, and his unit has won the Air League Trophy for the most efficient ATC Squadron every year for the past five years. He was awarded the Cadet Forces Medal in 2001 and two New Zealand Defence Force commendations. SQNLDR Cole has also been involved with the community as a youth mentor and a member of the New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue Task Force.
W/O Mario Martelletti.
W/O Mario Martelletti, RNZAF, of Palmerston North (Queen’s Service Medal)
W/O Martelletti served in the RNZAF’s Systems Development Unit from 2002 to 2006, where he was responsible for a number of highly successful Orion aircraft avionics projects of long-term benefit to New Zealand. The Digital Data Transmission project was the first to transmit secure digital imagery over aircraft military radios using the Internet. This technology has been used in the successful prosecution of vessels involved in illegal fishing activities. The Moving Map project has provided navigation and aircraft positioning information of such accuracy that it too can be used as evidence in a court of law. The Early Enhanced Electro-Optics project provides significant advances in visual and infra-red imagery that has improved the ability of our aircraft to detect illegal activity in poor conditions.
SQNLDR Gregory Burroughs, RNZAF, Wellington (Distinguished Service Decoration)
CAF, SQNLDR Burroughs, W/O Martelletti, and SQNLDR Cole.
SQNLDR Burroughs was the contingent commander of the logistics support element in Afghanistan from July 2005 to January 2006. Throughout his tour of duty he ensured that his unit provided the highest levels of service to our operations by establishing excellent working relationships with the Canadian Theatre Support Element for the provision of tactical airlift resources to move troops and supplies. SQNLDR Burrough’s planning of the movement of personnel and equipment in and out of Afghanistan using RNZAF aircraft was also meticulous and was fundamental to the ongoing success of the New Zealand contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom.