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Commandant Bands | RSM Australian Army Band Corps

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Pickett, CSM
B Mus, FTCL, LRAM, ARCM, LTCL, ALCM

Lieutenant Colonel Pickett was appointed as the Director of Music Army, Head of Corps of the Australian Army Band Corps and Commandant of the Defence Force School of Music in February 2004.

Lieutenant Colonel Pickett enlisted into the Australian Army as an Apprentice Musician in January 1972 and has risen through the ranks to his current appointment. He has served in the Royal Military College Band, Duntroon, the First Recruit Training Battalion Band, 4th Military District Band, the Defence Force School of Music as Training Development officer, and has commanded the Australian Army Band Kapooka and the Australian Army Band Brisbane.

During 1985, Lieutenant Colonel Pickett was selected to attend the famed Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall in London where he completed the Bandmasters course. Whilst in London he completed a Licentiate and Associate Diploma in music at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music London where he was appointed as Fellow in Conducting during 1988. On his return to Australia, he completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne and is currently completing a Masters Degree of Music in Instrumental Conducting at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.

During 1997, Lieutenant Colonel Pickett was awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal on the Australia Day Honours List for services as Officer Commanding and Music Director of the Australian Army Band Kapooka. During 1999, the title of "Citizen of the Year" was bestowed upon him by the Mayor of Wagga Wagga. Lieutenant Colonel Pickett has commanded bands on three tours of East Timor and two tours of Bougainville. For this Service, he was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal (East Timor clasp) and the Australian Service Medal (Bougainville clasp).

Lieutenant Colonel Pickett is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician throughout Australia. In January 2004 he was appointed Adjunct Professor of the University of Queensland where he lectures in Multi Instrumental Pedagogy, Instrumental Conducting and Group Music Skills.

Warrant Officer Class One Stephen Hladio

Warrant Officer Class One Stephen Michael Hladio first enlisted into the Australian Army as an Army Apprentice Musician (27th intake) in January 1972. After completing his two years training at the Army School Of Music at Balcombe, Victoria, he graduated into the Australian Army band Corps (AABC) and was posted, to the then, Band of the Second Military District based in Victoria Barracks, Sydney. Since that time he has had many varied and different band postings to Army bands as far afield as Perth (his home town) and Townsville, and was also posted as the Career Manager for all soldiers in both the AABC and the Australian Army Public Relations Service. He took up his current posting as Regimental Sergeant Major of the Defence Force School of Music, Victoria and the AABC in January 2004.

Warrant Officer Hladio plays the Double Bass, Electric Bass and BBb Tuba and over the years has played in support of many national and international artists. He is also the Senior Drum Major with the Australian Army Band Corps and as a highlight in this position was the Senior Drum Major for the Brisbane Festival Tattoo in 1996. Warrant Officer Hladio was the Drill Co-ordinator for the very successful ANZAC Military Tattoo in Sydney 1999. He was also the Drum Major of RMC Band when that unit travelled to the United Kingdom in support of Australia's Federation Guard on it's Public Duties at Buckingham and St James Palace in July 2000.


Career highs have been diverse as the units in which he has served. In particular in April 1999, being awarded the Australian Service Medal, Clasp Bougainville for deployments to this region in support of Operation Bel Isi II. In September 1999 he was awarded a Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Commendation for his actions on the retiring CDF farewell parade in 1998. Warrant Officer Hladio was also a member of the RMC Band that went to East Timor in support of the 'Tour of Duty' Concert, as well as performing for our troops in the forward areas. After subsequent deployments to East Timor, including one with which he both performed and commanded in December 2002, he was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal, Clasp East Timor. He has also been awarded the Training Commander - Army Commendation for his work with the Royal Military College Band.