Leaving the Battalion LTCOL Michael Bassingthwaighte
THE Commanding Officer during a period of great change for 2RAR - LTCOL Michael Bassingthwaighte - left the Battalion in December . Watched by his family , LTCOL Bassingthwaighte handed command of the Battalion to LTCOL Doug Pashley during a parade at Lavarack Barracks . He said his grandfather GEN ( ret ) Sir Frank Hassett , a former CO 3RAR , and Chief of the Defence Force , told him commanding a battalion would be the highlight of his career . Just before marching off the parade , he acknowledged the truth of his grandfather ’ s words , saying to the soldiers standing around him in a hollow square formation : “ It ’ s going to be very , very difficult now , to leave ”.
The last parade at 2RAR for LTCOL Michael Bassingthwaighte
FEBRUARY 2017 | 63