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Farewell to a mate
By Lt Joseph Ternowetsky

Edition 1167, May 31, 2007
 
Final outing: WO2 Dale Wallace, SSM 1 Armd Regt, with a Leopard on the tank’s last exercise.
Photo by Lt Joseph Ternowetsky
FOR WO2 Dale Wallace, Exercise Southern Reach was not just a time for developing soldier capabilities – it was also time to farewell a close military friend, the Leopard tank, on its last run in the bush.

WO2 Wallace, A Sqn SSM, 1 Armd Regt, said the Leopard had served the country well for more than 30 years.

“It has proven to be the real firepower of the Australian Army for a long time,” he said. “And we gave it a good send off.”

Although WO2 Wallace was pleased to be moving on to the sleek new Abrams, he said he had many fond memories of the Leopard.

In the past, he has done every tank crew duty and has been in countless tank exercises across Australia.

“I’ve driven the tank, I’ve been a loader, a gunner and a commander,” he said.

“The first time as a commander was a great feeling.

“When you start the tank it’s just awesome.”

He said the tank had been a great asset for the Army, but the ageing beast simply needed to be replaced.

“The design is very good,” he said. “In it’s time it was one of the best tanks in the world; a lot of the design elements are still incorporated into new tanks today.”

A farewell parade for the tank will be held in Darwin on July 7.