5RAR exercises its Freedom of Entry into Darwin with 50th anniversary march

THE 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment marked its 50th anniversary by exercising its Freedom of Entry into Darwin with a parade on Thursday.

Darwin-based 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, battalion soldiers salute dignitaries as they exercised their Freedom of Entry to the City of Darwin, marching from the Darwin City Council and finishing at the Darwin Cenotaph.

THE 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment marked its 50th anniversary by exercising its Freedom of Entry into Darwin on Thursday.

Troops, in uniform and carrying weapons, marched through the city with military vehicles and their mascot, tiger Corporal Quintus Rama, before a lone representative of the Darwin council challenged them on Knuckey Street.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Shields, 5RAR commanding officer, said the battalion was allowed to pass after the initial challenge.

“It’s kind of hard to say no when you’ve got a battalion of 400 soldiers behind you with vehicles and equipment,” he said.

Darwin-based 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, salute dignitaries as they exercised their Freedom of Entry to the City of Darwin, marching from Darwin City Council to the Darwin Cenotaph. Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI

Lt-Col Shields said parade marked 50 years since the battalion was formed.

“On this day 50 years ago we conducted our inaugural parade which started our intensive training program prior to deploying to South Vietnam,” he said.

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“Today we honoured our past and also engaged with the community of Darwin with the Freedom of Entry.”

Governor General Peter Cosgrove, a former 5RAR officer, was on hand to review the troops.

“Service, sacrifice and courage - that is what the men and women of the 5th Battalion know. This is what they’ve been made of for half a century,” he said as he addressed the parade.

Mascot Quintas Rama joined soldiers on the march. Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI

“And of course this is something the people of this city know firsthand.

“When much of Darwin was blown away by the devastating force of Cyclone Tracy, this Battalion, then known as 5/7RAR, was among the first army units on the scene providing emergency services, spearheading the clean-up and helping the city and its people pick up the pieces and get their lives back to ether.

“I had the honour to be a company commander in the battalion during that period and was able to observe…firsthand the affection that grew from that day forward between the people of Darwin and the men and women of the Australian army.”

Brigadier Mick Ryan, 1st Brigade commanding officer, said the battalion had been based in Darwin since the late 1990s as part of the 1st Brigade.

“Over their 50 years they’ve had multiple deployments to Vietnam and the Middle East,” he said.

“And I envisage members from the 5th Battalion will indeed go to Iraq, potentially towards the end of 2016.”

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