1 Raising and Training 'Aged Lentils and Fresh Greens'
Muskets and bullets and marching feet The smell of gunpowder and sweat The roll of the drum and the bugle call The memory of dangers we met. 'The Trooper's Song'
ON 1 SEPTEMBER 1965 the Seventh (7th) Battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment (7 RAR) was raised at Puckapunyal in Victoria. It was thought appropriate to send its first signal to the Colonel Commandant of The Royal Australian Regiment, Major General Sir Reginald Pollard. It read: UNCLAS SIGNAL NO 1. BIRTH NOTICES 1ST SEP 1965. 7TH BN TO RAR AT PUCKAPUNYAL. PRESENT AT BIRTH 9 OFFRS. G AND A THRIVING, COMPLICATIONS WITH Q. ACCELERATED GROWTH GUARANTEED WITH SUPPLEMENTS OF OCT AGED LENTILS AND DEC FRESH GREENS. The thriving G and A referred to the operations, training and personnel administration aspects of the new unit. As will soon be described, there were complications with the Q or stores aspects. October's aged lentils referred to the plan to man part of the battalion with seasoned veterans from 3 RAR; the fresh greens in December were to be National Servicemen. The Royal Australian Regiment is made up of the infantry battalions of the Australian Regular Army. The Regiment's founding can be traced to the raising of the 65th Battalion on 12 October 1945, to be followed by the 66th and 67th Battalions on 16 and 20 October, respectively. These battalions were specifically raised for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. These three battalions were st nd rd retitled 1 , 2 and 3 Battalions, The Australian Regiment on 23 November 1948. The prefix Royal was added on 10 March 1949. The Regiment had consisted of three 1