The 6th Battalion has unfurled their new King’s and Regimental Colours at Gallipoli Barracks during the regiment’s 58th birthday, the first regiment to unfurl their new colours.
The ceremony was attended by hundreds of current nd former members of the battalion, where the colours were uncased and paraded.
Defence News confirmed that additional honours have been added to the colours, including Iraq and East Timor, which are now displayed alongside honours such as Long Tan.
6RAR was joined by the Governor-General of Australia, General (Ret’d) David Hurley, and the Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart to mark the occasion.
The Governor-General explained how the colours serve to link the regiment to its past.
“The colours represent the legacy of those who have gone before you,” General Hurley said.
“Your service comes with great responsibility; you are custodians of their legacy as you build your own story.”
Current and former members of the regiment reflected on the ceremony, where the old colours were paraded for a final occasion.
“We all came together in 1965, half conscripts and half regular soldiers,” John Hazlewood, one of the battalion’s original members and Long Tan veteran, told Defence News.
“Within two or three months, we’d all melded together and were working as one.
“The colours bring it all back to me and I appreciate what they mean to the battalion and Army.”
Source: Defence Connect
