It's not widely known that a peacekeeping mission to a war-ravaged Pacific island brought an end to civil war using guitars and culture - not weapons.
The tale of the peaceful end to a bloody 10-year civil war on Bougainville [[BO-gun-vill]] is being recounted through the documentary, Soldiers Without Guns.
This story of a peacekeeping mission to a war-ravaged Bougainville is a rarely-told tale of ANZAC cooperation.
The Pacific island was in the midst of a decade-long civil war during the 1990s, a violent conflict that claimed at least 20,000 lives - almost one-sixth of the population.

Following a series of failed peace efforts, in October 1997 New Zealand Defence Force Brigadier Roger Mortlock came up with a daring plan.
He told reporters he would deploy a Maori concert group and a shipment of guitars.




