Finish line beckons for cadets march to honour Dunagrees

THEY’VE battled heat and even serious accidents along the way, but the challenges involved in covering 205km on foot will make the 132 cadets even more proud.

NEARLY THERE: Army Cadets arrive in Ipswich as part of the commemmoration of the March of the Dungarees. Picture: Inga Williams

THEY'VE battled heat and even serious accidents along the way, but the challenges involved in covering 205km on foot will make the 132 cadets taking part in the reenactment of the March of the Dungarees even more proud.

After six days of pounding the bitumen, the teenage army cadets from accross south-east Queensland are within 40km of their final destination.

They stopped in at the Ipswich Showgrounds yesterday morning, having departed Rosewood bright and early at 6.30am.

It was the 13th leg in the journey from Warwick to Brisbane that began on December 12.

Toowoomba Army Cadet Emily Cavanagh said she had been looking forward to taking part in the march all year.

"It is an honour to be a part of the commemmoration," Emily said.

"It has been a really good experience. We've got a really good group who have made it easy and people have been coming out to cheer us on along the way."

The long journey has been in commemmoration of the 100th anniversary of the original March of the Dungarees - a recruitment effort that started in Warwick with only 28 men, snowballing to 125 recruits by the time it hit Brisbane.

Today's crop of young cadets may not be headed to war, but they haven't had the easiest time of it out on the road.

Earlier in the week, nine of the cadets were injured when their support bus was involved in a traffic crash at Helidon.

Captain Glen van Emmerik said seven of the nine injured were now back in the march, with the remaining two to rejoin for the penultimate leg to Moggill today.

"They are showing the true spirit of the Dungarees in their determination and attitude," he said

The march will pass through Bundamba and Dinmore today.