ARMY Reserve soldiers in central Victoria yesterday negotiated an angry East Timorese mob before dealing with UN forces and tending to a man run over by a truck.
The scenario was one of the role-playing exercises soldiers have been training in ahead of their deployment to East Timor.
Simulated emergency incidents, as well as community patrols and riot control training, have formed part of an intensive three-month camp for soldiers at Puckapunyal military base, near Seymour.
A group of 200 soldiers from around Victoria, including six soldiers from Bendigo, will finish their final training exercises this week before heading off on an eight-month stability mission.
The group will be in East Timor at a volatile time ahead of the country’s elections on March 17.
The Bendigo Advertiser will have regular coverage of the Victorian soldiers before and during their deployment.
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