The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment last week returned to a parade ground. The first time it has done so since arriving in Vietnam just on five months ago. The occasion was the unit's twenty second birthday and the venue for the parade was Eagle Farm helipad near the Battalion's base with the Australian Task Force at Nui Dat. The battalion marched on to the parade ground to the strains of the unit band. Shortly afterwards, the Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel "Chick" Charlesworth, of Canberra, arrived to take over the parade from the Battalion second-in-charge, Major David Smith, of the Gap, Brisbane. An inspection of the Battalion followed the arrival of the Commander of the Task Force, Brigadiers Stuart Graham, of Canberra. The Commander's inspection included the New Zealand infantry company, which is intergrated with 2 RAR, the 2 RAR band and even one of the tracking dogs took part in the parade. In his address to members of the unit, Brigadier Graham said it had been a great honour for him to have commanded the Second Battalion and later to have found himself commander of the Task Force in which the Second Battalion was serving. A short church service by the three padres with the Task Force followed the Commander's address and this in turn was followed by an address from Lieutenant Colonel Charlesworth. Seven members of the battalion also had their 22nd birthday on the same day and these were named by Lieutenant Colonel Charlesworth during his address. With the departure of Colonel Charlesworth, the parade came to an end and the festivies began. Birthday cakes and drinks were to the fore as members of the Battalion entertained guests from other Task Force units who had been invited to join in the celebrations. And the historic day for the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment came to a close with the Beating the Retreat ceremony in which the fallen of the Vietnam and other wars were remembered with two minutes' silence.
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Three national flags, Australian, South Vietnam, US. N Comd band marches onto the parade ground. AATTV troops formed up on parade ground. COMAFV Major General Fraser takes "general salute". Australian
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