62 AUSBATT VII were extremely wide and so in addition to this, a party was integrated into the Battalion QRF as well as an element of a Humanitarian Assistance (HA). According to CAPT Paul Winters, who was chiefly involved in the Humanitarian Assistance elements, the attitude the locals had towards the ADF had shifted almost immediately and the people in his area of operations were at times amongst the most warm and welcoming. The HA element’s role concerned working closely with the locals in order to rebuild certain structures, but this didn’t come without challenges because the sudden change of focus was disruptive to the original role CAPT Winter’s party would be playing and now the responsibility of rebuilding had been thrust into the Captain’s hands. Reorganising and motivating his team of FOs, he was suddenly destined to move out of his AO back to Dili to acquire funds. With his FO Party in tow, he moved back to Dili via a Russian helo and set to work visiting various embassies, including the British and New Zealand embassies, as well as the World Bank in order to secure donations for the mission. It totalled near a million dollars in cash, which was stuffed into every pocket, pouch or bag the FOs had on them. This funding was vital to completing the HA mission, which was used to secure local materials and hire local labour for the betterment of the engineering elements. Their projects were significantly improved thanks to the effort and construction could get underway. CAPT Winter’s team built up to a total of twenty schools, a fish farm, and headmaster’s offices amongst other things. It was important to CAPT Winters, however, to give agency to the locals, saying it was essential to offer the choice of what could be built next. Schools were a popular choice amongst the burnt out husks of the buildings, destroyed by riots and violence, as it had a direct and immediate effect on the community, getting kids off the street and adults back into teaching. Not only that, but it was important for the locals to be able to choose their own materials, something
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