Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of joining the member for Hughes at Holsworthy Barracks in Sydney to witness a special event. Over two ceremonies, newly qualified officers and soldiers of the Specials Operations Engineer Regiment and the two commando regiments were each presented with their berets. This was the culmination of a long and arduous journey.

I will begin with the Special Operations Engineer Regiment, otherwise known as SOER. There are countless Afghanistan veterans who, but for the bravery and competence of engineers from SOER, would not be here. I know that in my platoon they found 21 IEDs that we would have otherwise driven on or walked on. When others had to freeze and back up, their job was to lie down and crawl towards the danger. These new members of SOER are signing up to the same explosive danger and more. The increased threat of large-state conflict has meant their unique skills and training—including in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare—may be called upon. Congratulations and thank you.

The next ceremony was the presentation of the green beret to newly qualified members of the 1st and 2nd commando regiments. This marked the culmination of 18 months of training, which commenced with a brutal three-week selection course. The candidates were assessed on a number of attributes, including their teamwork, intellect, resilience, integrity and ethics. For many, this has been a longer journey than 18 months from the initial decision to tell a close friend or your mum or your dad that you might even try, through to the months spent training like an athlete to be ready. Quite a few had spent additional years overcoming disappointment or injury. Yet they came back again and again, and that speaks volumes for their resilience and determination to be there. Their unique on-target and insertion skills may be called upon, and I congratulate and thank them for their achievement.

To the directing staff who planned, organised and executed course after course, this is as much a burden on them and their families. They go through this 18-month process and are away again and again. They then back it up with another reinforcement cycle. To the members of the Defence Special Operations Training and Education Centre: thank you.

Finally, to the families who witnessed the ceremony last Friday: your sons and daughters have been through a journey few have been on. You have had a front-row seat witnessing how much this meant to them and how much they sacrificed to be there. Yet this is only the start. I want you to know that, through the representatives of this parliament, that service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Thank you for letting me be a witness to this ceremony.

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