THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLACK HAWK TRAGEDY

12 June 1997

Today the Australian people remember with great sadness the first anniversary of the mid air collision between two Black Hawk helicopters during a training exercise near Townsville, in which 18 servicemen from the 5th Aviation Regiment and the Special Air Service Regiment were killed and another 12 were injured.

It is a time to recall the shock and grief we all felt as a nation, and to express our continuing sympathies to those men and women who must still live with the consequences. Yet it is also a time for us to reflect on the skill and courage shown by members of the Australian Defence Force at the time of the Black Hawk disaster.

A few weeks ago I was privileged to present bravery awards to 14 people for their actions on that occasion. Every Australian is conscious of the extraordinary bravery shown by all the soldiers, air crew and ground safety personnel to rescue their comrades from the wrecked helicopters, despite the flames and exploding ammunition. Together with the medical aid given on the scene and rapid transport to hospital, they prevented much higher casualties.

This first anniversary of the Black Hawk disaster reminds us how much the nation demands of the members of its armed forces, and how much our service men and women give in return. The Australian Defence Force must be able to react to widely varying circumstances and tasks in maintaining its ability to defend our nation. To achieve that ability, training has to be uncompromising and as realistic as possible. That means there will inevitably be occasions when service personnel called upon to face danger, including the risk of injury and death.

Today's anniversary is an occasion for the nation to both mourn the loss of those who died on 12 June 1996, and to reaffirm its pride in those who showed how magnificently our armed services will respond at a time of crisis.