Situm village sees joint PNG-Australia military drill for first time

Joseph Guenzler Published November 12, 2025 at 9.00am (AWST)

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Australian and Papua New Guinean soldiers reunited in Situm for a joint military exercise commemorating historic wartime ties. (Image: LCPL Jessica Gray)

Approximately 1000 people recently gathered in a village outside Lae in Papua New Guinea called Situm at the local sports oval to witness something most had only seen in films.

The 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), carried out a mock infantry assault on the jungle-fringed school grounds with soldiers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force's (PNGDF) 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR).

After the drill, the crowd erupted in excitement as a CH-47F Chinook from the 5th Aviation Regiment landed on the oval and the crew invited locals to take a closer look.

Situm women's representative Bathseba Ambrisa said it was an unforgettable day for the community.

"It's the first time ever one of the big choppers has landed here," she said.

Ms Ambrisa said many of the younger generation had never seen the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and PNGDF working together, despite the village's strong military ties.

"The Australian 7th Division helped us build our school here and our clinic," Ms Ambrisa said.

*Australian Army soldier Sergeant Patrick Patterson engages with local young people at the conclusion of an urban clearance drill. (Image: LCPL Jessica Gray)*

Ms Ambrisa added the Situm 7th Australian Division Memorial Primary School was built in 1964 by the Australian 7th Division AIF Association to thank locals for their help during the New Guinea campaign.

"They settled us here, our grandfathers, those who fought in the war," she said.

"We are the third generation after our fathers who fought in the war with the 7th Division.

"We have the monument there and we remember our fathers that fought with those Australians."

During the Second World War, Indigenous soldiers from the Papuan Infantry Battalion and the New Guinea Infantry Battalions served under Australian command in frontline roles, later merging in 1944 to form the Pacific Islands Regiment - the foundation of today's PNGDF.

The school's uniform still bears a kookaburra on a boomerang, the insignia of the 7th Division, renowned for its role on the Kokoda Track and at Shaggy Ridge.

For 1RAR soldiers in Wantok Warrior, the link to the 7th Division also runs deep.

Their Townsville base, home to parent unit 3rd Brigade, is named after Lieutenant General Sir John Lavarack, the division's first commander.

Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers from the 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment, conduct an urban clearance of the Situm primary school during Exercise Wantok Warrior 25. (Image: LCPL Jessica Gray)

For PNGDF 3rd Brigade Deputy Commander, Colonel Boniface Aruma, the event captured the lasting friendship between both nations.

"This is what the relationship is all about," Colonel Aruma said.

"This is powerful. What we just witnessed is the DCP [Defence Cooperation Program], what we witnessed is Wantok Warrior, what we witnessed is the MTT [mentoring training team]. That's the relationship; it goes beyond uniform to uniform.

"It's really encouraging to see that there are Papua New Guineans out here, who are not in the military, but who understand the significance of the bond and the relations that have gone on for generations."

Pilot Captain Ryan Kerr said the interaction was a highlight for both forces and the community.

"A lot of friendly faces and a lot of interest from the kids in particular, having not seen a Chinook before, it was a great opportunity and very well received from both sides," Captain Kerr said.