| More than 250
past members of the battalions and their partners attended the simple
ceremony, with a guard of 50 soldiers from 5/7RAR flying with the
colours from Darwin to Wagga Wagga courtesy of the RAAF.
Beneath the brilliant autumn sunshine
the colours were made available for veterans of the battalions to have
their photograph taken with them before to the laying-up ceremony. The
guard then marched the colours into the Soldiers' Chapel where the
formal ceremony of committing the colours to the care of the chapel
continued.
The 5RAR colours were originally
presented on October 29, 1967, by the-then Governor of NSW, Sir Roden
Cutler VC. Sir Roden also presented the 7RAR
colours the following year on October 6, 1968. Both battalions went on
to serve two tours of duty in South Vietnam.
When the two battalions were linked on
December 3, 1973, to form 5/7RAR, both sets of colours were retained as
the colours of the battalion and have been in 5/7RAR's care for more
than 30 years. They have now been replaced by new colours presented to
the battalion last December.
The significance of unit colours to
soldiers was amply demonstrated by one veteran who attended the
ceremony. Peter Issacs, the former adjutant of 5RAR during its first
tour in South Vietnam, travelled from his workplace in Tajikistan, where
he coordinates an UN de-mining program, to be present at the
laying-up.
The colours have joined the 1RTB
banner in the Soldiers Chapel, where they stand as solemn witnesses to a
proud martial history.
From ARMY The Soldier's Newspaper |
