Ballarat tour follows Iraq, Timor

AFTER tours of duty with the Australian Defence Forces in East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Wodonga-based Trooper Russell Nastasi has spent some downtime in Ballarat.A reception at Ballarat Town Hall on Wednesday honoured Trooper Nastasi as the first recipient of Operation R&R (Rest and Recreation) Ballarat.Locally devised and managed, the project gives a member of the ADF and their family an all expenses paid holiday in Ballarat, including accommodation, transportation, meals and entry into tourist attractions.Operation R&R Ballarat committee chairman Major Bill Akell said the Ballarat community had donated everything."Everyone we approached thought it was a wonderful idea and wanted to get involved," he said. Trooper Nastasi, accompanied by his wife Kylee, was selected by the ADF after being injured with on duty in Afghanistan. The couple, originally from Perth, spent a week in Ballarat seeing the sights including the Wildlife Park, Sovereign Hill and experiencing the gastronomic delights of the region.Trooper Nastasi also made visits to the Ballarat POW Memorial and the Arch of Victory. The project will be an annual event and this years sponsors included the Regent Multiplex, Zagames, Ballarat Leagues Club, Ballarat RSL, City of Ballarat, Rotary Club of Ballarat South, Sovereign Hill and the Wildlife Park.