Commando News Edition 13, 2022

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR
My warmest greetings to all. Welcome to the
13 th Edition of COMMANDO – The Maga -
zine of the Aust ralian Com mando Asso -
ciation.
The Australian Commando Association exists to
foster and perpetuate ties of comradeship amongst
past and serving members of the Australian
Commando and Special Force units and like-minded
associations.
COMMANDO – The Maga zine of the Aust ralian
Com mando Asso ciation is a key communication
channel that is designed to keep our members well
informed and to foster the Commando esprit de corps
which we have all enjoyed in our various times of
service. I can only reiterate that the success of the
Magazine is reliant on articles generated by our State
Associations and members. I want to thank those who
have made the effort to put “pen to paper” as every
article advances our collective understanding of the
rich history which is Commando.
Commando Graduation
On Friday 4 November 2022, I was privileged to
attend the graduation ceremonies for both the Special
Operations Engineer Regiment (SOER) and 1 & 2
Commando Regiments.
I wish to thank the RSM, ADF School of Special
Operations for the warm welcome and the opportunity
to witness both Graduations.
It was a great honour to present the Ken “Bluey”
Curran Award for the best instructor for the 2021/22
selection and reinforcement cycle Sgt J.
Immediately following the formal ceremony, I
enjoyed a chat with Sgt J. and his colleagues about the
course and the extraordinary demands of both
selection and reinforcement. Sgt. J is emblematic of
the current cohort of Commandos - self-effacing,
thoughtful and a consummate professional.
There is no doubt that today’s Commandos face an
exceptionally complex environment featuring high
levels of stress, danger, and hardship. Fortunately, I
believe that Ken “Bluey” Curran’s views on the
“modern” soldier are correct, “I think today they are far
superior to the soldier of the past. The soldier of the
past came up through the depression days. He had to
learn the ropes the hard way. Today’s young soldiers in
my opinion are far better educated and sophisticated
and willing to learn.”
The School of Special Operations is responsible for
selecting and training our Special Forces and we can
be truly satisfied that the motto “Relentless Pursuit Of
Excellence” is witnessed by the calibre of the staff and
graduates
On behalf of the Commando Community, I
congratulate the successful graduates of the 2021/22
Selection and Reinforcement cycle.
The Year in Review
2022 witnessed an end to “lock downs” and the
seemingly endless restrictions to our activities. As Swift
said, “People say you don’t know what you’ve got till
it’s gone, but the truth is you just never thought you’d
ever lose it”.
I am pleased that the worst of those restrictions are
behind us and that we able to meet to celebrate,
mourn and pay our respects to lost comrades and
absent friends
Our list of Vales grew in 2022 and I wish to thank the
authors of the articles that chronicled and celebrated
the lives of our Comrades. In our most recent Edition,
we paid respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II –
the end of an era marked by Her Majesty’s seven
decades of service to the people of the Com mon -
wealth. Service that was unfailing in its dignity, grace,
compassion, and intelligence.
Maya Angelou’s poignant poem “When Great Trees
Fall” is a fitting tribute to those that we have lost this
year.
“When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
2 COMMANDO ~ The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association ~ Edition 13 I 2022