Farewell Parade At Nui Dat

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32303, 22 May 1970, Page 4

Farewell Parade At Nui Dat

Brigadier C. Weir, Commander of the Ist Australian Task Force, Vietnam (left), and Lieutenant-Colonel D. Butler (right), of Brisbane, Commanding Officer of the integrated 6th Royal Australian Regiment—New Zealand, (A.N.Z.A.C.) Battalion, inspect troops of Whisky Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, at the Ansae Battalion’s recent farewell parade at Nui Dat, South Vietnam. The 6th Battalion is to return to Australia and will be relieved by the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, which will become the new Anzac Battalion. Of the companies on parade. Whisky Company R.N.Z.1.R., will be the only one remaining to join the new Anzac BattalionWhisky Company’s 12-month tour does not finish until the end of the year. Victor Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, will leave for its home base with the Ist Battalion, in Singapore, when the 6th Battalion departs. It will be replaced by a fresh rifle company drawn from the Ist Battalion, and the new company, combined with the “old" Whisky Company, will form the New Zealand contingent of the new Anzac Battalion.

The Australian and New Zealand troops on parade wore poppies to mark the ' honoured and historic name !of Anzac. The integrated Task Force Battalion is the first unit to bear the name Anzac since the original Australian, New Zealand Army I Corps was formed early in the First World War. In his address to the as-1 sembled troops, Colonel But-1 ler praised the way that the!

New Zealanders and the Aus-; tralians had worked together against the enemy. On one! major operation, code-named “Laverick,” the Battalion had inflicted more than 100; casualties on the enemy who were mostly highly-j trained North Vietnamese regulars. Colonel Butler spoke highly of the soldierly skills, patience, and determination in the patrolling, and ambush work carried-out by the battalion, and praised the resolution and courage shown by the Anzac soldiers in almost

The Anzacs had also demonstrated true soldierly quail- ; |ties by their concern fortheir ■comrades and for the care and compassion they had ; shown wounded enemy sol-1 diersi ; Looking back over the whole tour, Colonel Butler I

said, the most striking thing . was the tremendous • spirit , and feeling of community in ‘ the Anzac Battalion. This, he ; said, directed and assisted “ the accomplishment of every . task in which the battalion . was engaged.—Army Informa- , ! tion Service. • 11