Musos to perform for troops in East Timor
by Nalita Ferraz
AAP Newsfeed, December 5, 2001

Young Australian musician Paul Dempsey is one of the country's most popular artists. But the Something for Kate frontman wants nothing more than to get his hands dirty when he heads to East Timor next week to perform in the third annual Christmas concert for troops. 

Tour De Force 3 also will include performances by rock band Killing Heidi, artists Groove Terminator and Missy Higgins and the Australian Army Band Sydney. The musicians will head to East Timor on Monday for performances in Dili, Balibo, Maliana, Bobonaro, Batugade and Aidabeleten.

This year's tour follows on from the hugely successful concerts in 1999, featuring John Farnham and Kylie Minogue, and last year's performances by Bardot and The Whitlams' Tim Freedman.

For Dempsey, the once-in-a-lifetime experience is his chance to contribute to the work of the 1500 Australian troops and 90 police officers involved in peacekeeping missions in East Timor.

"I'm just hoping that maybe I can get my hands dirty and help build something," Dempsey said during the Tour De Force 3 launch in Sydney.

"That's what's exciting about it to me; if there's any opportunity to get involved aside from just playing my guitar."

Tour manager Lieutenant Colonel Charles Reynolds said the concerts would help boost morale among the troops, some of whom are spending their second Christmas away from their families.

"The bands are giving up their time free to go over there and that's a really important thing for us," Lt Col Reynolds said.

"It's a bit of mateship, the Australian mateship, that they're going over there to support the Australians."

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer officially launched the tour, farewelling the musicians and wishing them well.

Tour De Force concerts will begin in East Timor on December 11.