Australian Army reservist returns to Townsville for 30 year anniversary of Rwanda peacekeeping mission

During her 44 years of service, Pam Dillon has experienced everything from an eye opening deployment in Rwanda to surveilling the remote shores of Australia. Read her story.

An Australian soldier carrying a young Rwandan boy injured during the Kibeho massacre in Rwanda, 1995.

A Rwanda veteran, teacher and now Norforce member, Pam Dillon has left her mark on many different parts of the world and now she has returned to the city she once called home to mark her 44th Anzac Day as a member of the Australian Defence Force.

Ms Dillon first joined the Australian Army reserves in 1981, balancing her service to her country with her service in the classroom teaching the next generation.

“I always wanted to join the regs and I thought I’ll join the reserves and then my teaching career just took off,” Ms said.

She taught on Palm Island for 19 years and during that time deployed to Rwanda as a transport supervisor sergeant during one of Australia’s most challenging peace keeping missions.

“It’s an eye opener, it does affect you but you go on,” she said.

Anzac Day 2025. Dawn Service Anzac Park Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

“When I came back to Australia, people were complaining about this and that and I’m going ‘you guys have no idea.’”

She said in her living room sits a photo which was taken during her deployment to the African nation of her and one of the many loving and resilient kids who were present during that brutal time.

“I often wonder what happened to that young little kid,” she said.

Ms Dillon is one of many Rwandan veterans who have made the trip back to Townsville for the 30 year anniversary of the operation and took part in the Anzac Day parade along The Strand.

The Norforce member said it’s vital for Australian Defence members to be able to meet up and check up on each other.

“It’s looking after people and that’s what the Rwanda reunion is, making sure everyone’s OK and chatting to people,” Ms Dillon said.

Gallery: Townsville honours the Anzacs at Dawn Service

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The Rwanda peacekeeping mission is known as one of the most confronting and horrific times for those caught up in the bloodshed and the soldiers deployed there.

“That’s what’s great, meeting up with people and chatting and finding out what they’ve done that last 35 years and kind of healing the wounds,” Ms Dillon said

After returning from Rwanda and finishing up her time on Palm Island, Ms Dillon moved to the Northern Territory where she continued teaching.

Her reservist career continued, and Ms joined the northwest Mobile Force, commonly known as Norforce which surveys the remote areas of northern Australia.

“(Norforce) is great, we do some extraordinary and different things up there that some other reservist units don’t do,” she said.

“They’re a great band of people there too, a great vein of people.”

One of her standout moments was working on the boats across the stunning Western Australia coastline she said.

After 44 years of service, she said she was honoured to be present at the Townsville Anzac Dawn Service along the strand surrounded by fellow veterans who had sacrificed so much for their country and the community who had shown so much appreciation.

Originally published as Australian Army reservist returns to Townsville for 30 year anniversary of Rwanda peacekeeping mission