TWO serving personnel from Redlands spent Australia Day with Bowman MP Andrew Laming, who was visiting an army base in the Middle East.
Leading aircraftman Corporal Bonnie Doyle and Flight Sergeant Andrea McDonnell, both from Redland city, met their local federal MP on an Australian air force base in the Middle East.
The Australian troops are part of Operation Accordion.
Mr Laming met some of the 1800 Australians who have been away from their homes since Christmas.
He said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a civilian to witness operations, contingency planning and the regional relationships in the Middle East Region.
From Australia's main logistics base, Mr Laming travelled to a US air force base where he came second in a military running race between Coalition forces.
He also visited an Officer Training Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Mr Laming served for three years with the Queensland University Regiment from 1984 before volunteering with the UK-based Charity HALO Trust to assist landmine clearing teams in Afghanistan in 1992.
