Damien Timms grew up in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of St Kilda. He joined the Australian Army in 1989, partly inspired by his grandfather’s service in the Navy.
Damien served with the infantry and was part of B Company, 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR). His unit provided the rifle company in support of the 2nd contingent United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda II (UNAMIR II). They arrived in Rwanda in last weeks of February 1995 to take over form the 1st Australian contingent.
Damien knew very little about Rwanda before his deployment. He remembers it as an eye-opening experience that was mentally challenging at times. He is full of praise for the manner in which service personnel of the various components of the contingents rose above the difficult conditions to successfully carry out their duties.
