Soldiers donate $4000 to take on Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major roles for a day

Ending the work day early was on the agenda for two young soldiers who found themselves in charge of their battalion last week. See how the initiative raised thousands for a veterans charity.

Regimental Sergeant Major of 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment Warrant Officer Class One Darryl Egen takes a selfie with Private Shanon Holloway during "1 RAR CO and RSM For A Day" at Lavarack Barracks Townsville, Queensland. PHOTO: PTE William McCormick

Townsville’s 1st Battalion recently raised thousands of dollars for a veterans charity after auctioning off the opportunity for two young soldiers to step into the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) and Commanding Officers (CO) shoes for a day.

Lance Corporal Ben Pascoe and Private Shanon Holloway were in high spirits at their Battalion Ball earlier in the year when they decided they would both throw their hand up to step into a higher-ranking position for the day.

The pair donated nearly $4000 to Legacy Australia, a non-profit organisation which supports the families of veterans.

“It was a pretty busy day, it was good to see how things work on the opposite side because that’s not something we usually see or hear about,” Private Holloway said.

Australian Army soldiers Lance Corporal Ben Pascoe and Private Shanon Holloway from 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment take on the roles of Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major for the day at Lavarack Barracks Townsville, Queensland PHOTO: TPR Dana Millington

After the morning’s handover ceremony, where the RSM and CO forfeited their position, Private Holloway and Lance Corporal Pascoe took it upon themselves to do officers’ uniform inspections before attending meetings and ensuring all their fellow soldiers were knocked off before lunchtime.

“We bossed the junior officers around a little bit, which was pretty fun, and then helped the boys out by knocking them off as early as we could without disrupting the battle rhythm of the battalion,” Lance Corporal Pascoe said.

Commanding Officer of 1RAR Lieutenant Colonel Brent Hughes said it was a good chance for young soldiers to peek behind the curtain at Battalion headquarters while raising money for a good cause.

“I think they might be more motivated now towards achieving rank and promotion and going through that process now and achieving a more long-term career,” he said.

Originally published as Soldiers donate $4000 to take on Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major roles for a day