The colours of 5RAR and 7RAR have been laid to rest in the Soldiers' Chapel at the Army Recruit Training Centre Photo provided by Col Roger Wainwright

Colours laid to rest

By Lt Steven Dickie
The Soldiers' Chapel at Kapooka has become the resting place for the colours of 5RAR and 7RAR.

More than 250 past members of the battalions and their partners attended the simple ceremony, with a guard of 50 soldiers from 5/7RAR flying with the colours from Darwin to Wagga Wagga courtesy of the RAAF.

Beneath the brilliant autumn sunshine the colours were made available for veterans of the battalions to have their photograph taken with them before to the laying-up ceremony.

The guard then marched the colours into the Soldiers' Chapel where the formal ceremony of committing the colours to the care of the chapel continued.

The 5RAR colours were originally presented on October 29, 1967, by the-then Governor of NSW, Sir Roden Cutler VC.

Sir Roden also presented the 7RAR colours the following year on October 6, 1968.

Both battalions went on to serve two tours of duty in South Vietnam.

When the two battalions were linked on December 3, 1973, to form 5/7RAR, both sets of colours were retained as the colours of the battalion and have been in 5/7RAR's care for more than 30 years.

They have now been replaced by new colours presented to the battalion last December.

The significance of unit colours to soldiers was amply demonstrated by one veteran who attended the ceremony.

Peter Issacs, the former adjutant of 5RAR during its first tour in South Vietnam, travelled from his workplace in Tajikistan, where he coordinates an UN de-mining program, to be present at the laying-up.

The colours have joined the 1RTB banner in the Soldiers Chapel, where they stand as solemn witnesses to a proud martial history.

.