Over two months, RAAF and Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) members competed fiercely in a sporting championship across four different sports.
Rather than battling it out for their services or countries, the teams were role-based - pitting maintainers against teams made up of operations, support and training staff.
The players comprised members of RAAF's Olgeta Aviator Mobile Training Team, along with augmentees from the Defence Pacific Air Program (DPAP) and PNGDF's Air Transport Wing.
Consisting of touch rugby, soccer, volleyball and darts, the championship involved ADF and PNGDF working side-by-side their departmental colleagues.
Kicking off in early June, the championship was a scheduled round-robin format, with the maintainers atop the standings in the lead-up to the finals on a 40-degree day at Kiki Barracks, Port Moresby.
In the spirit of the preceding two months of competition, the finals series included some tough competition that came down to the wire. The support team ultimately took out the overall championship by claiming wins in touch rugby and volleyball, with maintenance and operations winning in soccer and darts, respectively.
Flight Lieutenant Richard Colborne, operations officer of Olgeta Aviator's Mobile Training Team, reflected on the relationships that were built over the championships, and the importance of sport in both nations.
"Sport is a significant part of PNGDF culture - as it is for the ADF - and it's a great way to promote the integration and interoperability of our two Defence Forces," he said.
"The camaraderie builds trust and creates a positive atmosphere both on and off the field, and as Mobile Training Team and DPAP members rotate through so often, it's really important to build those personal relationships with the Air Transport Wing guys quickly - and sport is a fantastic way to do that.
"I just wish the ops team could've come away with the trophy."
A part of the ADF's Olgeta series, Olgeta Aviator is RAAF's contribution to international engagement in PNG, and includes training and mentorship with PNGDF's Air Transport Wing, with integration in logistics, air-load, aviation medicine and air power, alongside the broader PNGDF.
