Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Lean prepares to say goodbye to 5th Aviation Regiment

There were mixed emotions for the outgoing Commanding Officer of the Army Fifth Aviation Regiment after a Change of Command Ceremony held yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bremner, (front, centre) is the new Commanding Officer of Fifth Aviation Regiment after a handover ceremony. Picture: Evan Morgan

There were mixed emotions for the outgoing Commanding Officer of the Army Fifth Aviation Regiment after a Change of Command Ceremony held yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Lean has been in command of the army unit, based at the Hamel Lines at RAAF Base Townsville, for the past two years who said it would be the people he worked with that he missed the most.

“This is my tenth year in Fifth Aviation where I had a variety of positions, both is Officer Commanding of A and B Squadron, and finishing up as the Commanding Officer.

“The thing I probably miss the most are the people, just a great bunch of people to work with.

“The men and women of the Fifth Aviation Regiment have been truly outstanding. Just the hard work and dedication to what they do has made my job relatively easy.”

His words of advice for the incoming Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bremner was to get the most of his role.

The new Commanding Officer of Fifth Aviation Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bremner with the former Commanding Officer Lieutenant Andrew Lean after a handover ceremony. Picture: Evan Morgan

“He’s got a great team. Enjoy it, take the most of it to get out and see the people, because they’re truly a great team.

“It seemed like only last month that I marched into the Fifth Aviation Regiment as a CO, and I blinked, and here we are, and I’m handing over to Rich as the incoming CO.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lean’s next posting is with the 2nd Division Headquarters in Sydney.

New Commander Lieutenant Colonel Richard Bremner was excited about his new command.

Former Fifth Aviation Regiment Commanding Officer Lieutenant Andrew Lean with the regiment flag presented to him by the regiment's soldiers. Picture: Evan Morgan

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be leading such an amazing team with such an outstanding history of service and support across the nation and abroad. Really honoured to be here and really excited for the future.

“Andrew has kept the regiment in such an amazing place. The handover has been relatively smooth for me, although a bit daunting, knowing I’ve got such big shoes to fill.”

He said the coming years would see big changes and challenges for Army Aviation.

“I think everyone recognises that the world’s changing constantly, and that’s probably the only thing that’s been true throughout time.

“As we move into the new challenges, as the as the world continues to change, we will take that in stride. We’ll certainly assess the situation and drive to support the people as we can obviously,

“The first Aviation Regiment will bring Apaches to the Hamel Lines into Townsville, an amazing new capability that we’re very excited to have.

“There’s a lot of good training going on for that team at the moment to ensure that when they bring it into Australia, the capability is as mature as it can be.

“Then we will bring that in stride with the rest of Army and the ADF, to ensure that we can maximise its capability and its effectiveness.”

He said what he was looking forward most was being in command of the team at Fifth Aviation.

“They’re an amazing bunch of people that do outstanding work, and I’m really excited to support them in achieving what they want to achieve, and ensuring that we can defend Australia and its interests and be part of this amazing community into the future.”

Prior to his new command the Lieutenant Colonel Bremner was from the Director of Operation Airworthiness in Canberra, the previously at the Staff College, and then was at Fifth Aviation as the Officer Commanding of C Squadron.

“It’s nice to be back in Townsville with Fifth Aviation Regiment, and fantastic to see the first Aviation Regiment posturing to move across the Hamel Lines as well.”

Originally published as Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Lean prepares to say goodbye to 5th Aviation Regiment