This morning, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, accompanied by UNFICYP senior leadership held a ceremony inside the UN Protected Area to handover to the Australian High Commissioner on the island, Fiona McKergow, the remains of the vehicle of the Australian Police Officer Sergeant Ian Ward, who died in the line of duty in Cyprus on 12 November 1974. 

Sergeant Ward was on a humanitarian mission when his vehicle hit a landmine around the Lefka-Aplici crossing. The remains of his vehicle have been on display since 2016, 42 years since the accident, when it was removed from the cleared mine site and moved to the UN Protected Area. 

The vehicle will be repatriated to Australia, where it will be placed on public display as the centrepiece of a new Peacekeeping Wing of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. 

Sergeant Ward’s family has expressed gratitude that the wreck and the story of the Cyprus conflict and Australia’s contribution towards the UN’s efforts will be prominently displayed.