By Corporal Damian Shovell
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ACM
Angus Houston says farewell to GEN Peter Cosgrove after
the former CDF said farewell to staff outside Building R1
at Defence Headquarters in Canberra.
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Photo by AB Kade Rogers
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IN
SILENCE at the Australian War Memorial’s tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, outgoing Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) General Peter
Cosgrove ended more than 40 years of service to the nation by
honouring those Australians who have paid the supreme sacrifice
during their service to Australia.
He stood beneath the domed ceiling in the Hall of Memory on July
1, and in one of his last acts as CDF, laid a wreath at the foot
of the Unknown Soldier’s grave.
Earlier that morning on the steps of Russell Offices, several
hundred Defence personnel had gathered in Canberra’s cold
winter rain to witness General Cosgrove pass the CDF’s ensign
to Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston – a symbolic gesture of
the passage of command – and to listen to his final public
address.
“Forgive me today if from time to time I have to collect
myself before I speak,” he said. “Because 40 years and
five months of a remarkable adventure draws to a close at midnight
on Sunday, but in terms of wearing a uniform and my attendance
here at Russell, [it ends] effectively now.”
As the drizzle steadily soaked the assembly, General Cosgrove
rained his own thanks on those who had supported him during his
term as CDF, and remarked on the amazing sense of teamwork within
the ADF. He thanked his team from the office of the CDF, and the
senior leadership team of the ADF.
He said Air Chief Marshal Houston “is a tremendous choice
as CDF,” and that he would take the ADF forward.
But he saved special praise for his family and gave credence to
the old saying that behind every great leader stands a great woman
when he thanked his wife, Lynne.
“My wife has been a hugely important part in any achievement
I have made and I believe, in her own way, she has made a tremendous
contribution to Australia.”
Later, as the bugler sounded the Last Post in the Hall of Memory,
General Cosgrove saluted the Unknown Soldier and stood for a minute’s
silence beneath the stained-glass windows that depict the personal,
social and fighting qualities of ADF personnel.
As he passed the visitors that stood behind the roped-off entrance
to the Pool of Remembrance, General Cosgrove gave them a laconic
smile and joked that the next display would be at 4pm.
New leadership era begins
Message from the out-going Chief of Air
Force
Order of the day
CAF's first 'cooee'
Next DCAF to take post in December
Sir Neville honours his fellow four-star
