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2nd/1st Battalion celebrating 50 years
The 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment celebrated its half-century anniversary over Matariki weekend with a charter parade through Christchurch’s central city and a ‘Welcome home’ event at Burnham Military Camp.
The parade drew large crowds as the battalion marched with regimental colours through Christchurch, joined by the NZ Army Band and unit veterans. The parade was inspected by Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger, before reading the historical charter document, acknowledging the unwavering support of the city in difficult times.
The charter formalises the relationship between the city of Christchurch and the South Island’s only Regular Force infantry unit.
The 2nd/1st Battalion has been among the first to respond to incidents and disasters in Christchurch and the South Island, in particular the Christchurch Earthquake in 2011.
Current Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Smith, says thousands of battalion members had served in New Zealand and on overseas deployments, including Bosnia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and Iraq.
