‘Cutting edge’ of Army farewells general

Press, 21 November 1987, Page 4

‘Cutting edge’ of Army farewells general

By DAVE WILSON Military precision is when 1720 army boots move and sound as one on the parade ground. Yesterday the Army’s Chief of General Staff, Major General John Mace, was treated to such a spectacle at his official farewell parade at Burnham Military Camp. With ceremony and customs whose origins date back hundreds of years, the cutting edge of the New Zealand Army paraded its colours and honoured the General, who has been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff.

It was the largest military parade seen in the South Island in more than a decade, with 860 soldiers taking part They included the 2nd/lst Battalion, the Ready Reaction Force core element each of the Regular Force elements in the South Island and representatives of every Territorial Force unit

General Mace acknowledged the significance of the moment and, addressing the Ready Reaction Force personnel, told them: “You are the cutting edge of the Army. Your standard is what the Army is all about.” All troops paraded in field clothing and equipment while the park was ringed by vehicles, weapons and ancillary equipment used by the Army units on parade.

The Commander of the 3rd Task Force, which encompasses the South Island, Colonel Tony Birks, was parade commander while a territorial unit band, drawn from the 2 Canterbury/Nelson/ Marlborough/West Coast Battalion, provided the

military airs. Unit colours were accorded full ceremonial honours, but the afternoon sun and the tension of the moment proved too much for two soldiers who fainted and had to be

assisted from the parade ground. General Mace, as well as honouring tradition, also exercised his prerogative as Chief of General Staff, to set a new standard. Until now, soldiers have been forbidden to wear any form of embellishment on their field shirts. But the General yesterday announced that in future, soldiers of the 2nd/Ist Battalion who have undertaken a parachute training course will be permitted to wear the parachute insignia on their field shirts. “That is no precedent for others. It is for the 2nd/Ist Battalion,” he said.

Decorations and commendations were also awarded by the General to 11 military and civilian personnel. Warrant Officer (first class) Greg

Hill, the Regimental Sergeant Major at Burnham, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Only 20 Army personnel have this decoration.

Among the 11 awards were several known as the Chief of General Staffs Commendation, which can be awarded to Army or civilian personnel who have made a valuable contribution to the Army. A driver, David Best, of 3 Medical Battalion, was awarded the C.G.S. Commendation for his work in assisting casualties of a road accident near Dunsandel in June, last year. Lance Corporal Darren Sunnex, an engineer who saved the lives of two men after a rafting mishap on the Rangitata River last February, also received the commendation.