Leadership award first
Volume 11, No. 55, November 02, 2006
By Cpl Andrew Hetherington

Prized: Cpl Albert Finnsson receives the Hassett Award from Governor-General Maj-Gen Michael Jeffery. Photo by Cpl Andrew Hetherington

A 6RAR soldier has been selected as the first winner of the Hassett Award for being the most outstanding junior leader in the RAR in 2006.

Governor-General Maj-Gen Michael Jeffery and Gen Sir Francis Hassett presented the award to Cpl Albert Finnsson at a ceremony in Canberra on October 19.

Cpl Finnsson was recognised for his work as a Bushmaster Detachment Commander on a deployment to Afghanistan and in assisting to develop unit tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for Bushmaster vehicles.

In presenting the award, Maj-Gen Michael Jeffery said Cpl Finnsson’s commitment was exceptional.

“To be the champion corporal of the RAR bespeaks a junior NCO of great skill and dedication,” he said.

“We are very proud of you and I am delighted to be able to present this award on behalf of Gen Sir Francis Hassett.”

After receiving the award, Cpl Finnsson said he felt privileged to have been the first recipient.

“I feel overwhelmed and yet fairly humbled at the same time,” he said. “There are a lot of great junior NCOs out there at the moment and I was really surprised to be the one to receive the award.”

He said his work assisting in developing unit TTPs for 6RAR Bushmasters was just as important as his work in Afghanistan.

“This was for my work during a deployment to Afghanistan but, more importantly, for the development of Bushmaster TTPs, and the assistance I gave in the preparation of other soldiers who went over with the RTF group,” he said.

“There had been motorised TTPs already written up [in the unit]. With the introduction of the Bushmaster they needed to be adjusted. I used my experiences and the TTPs we used overseas, and assisted the OC of Delta Coy 6RAR, in refining the existing ones.”

He said the Afghanistan deployment was his most memorable experience in his Army career. “It was easily the pinnacle of my military career, being given the opportunity to work with such an elite group of soldiers and perform my job.”

Cpl Finnsson said he was honoured to meet the Governor-General and Gen Hassett.

“I found Gen Hassett to be an incredible person. He seems to be very switched on to the present-day Army and he was confirming how the regiment is moving forward and developing. Also, meeting the Governor-General was very overwhelming.”

Cpl Finnsson is working as an instructor and section commander on an infantry IET course at 6RAR.

“This is a good learning stage for me, as I have never instructed on a course like this before,” he said.

“It has been an interesting experience and I believe that a section commander’s work at Singleton would be one of the hardest jobs in the regiment. It is a very demanding job and, by the end of the course, it would be very rewarding also.”

The Hassett Award was made possible by the donation of $5000 to the RAR Foundation by Gen Sir Francis and Lady Hassett early this year.

The RAR Foundation decided to commemorate the General’s exemplary leadership and prowess during his Army career by instituting the yearly award.