The 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport was marked with a parade.
The 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport was celebrated on Thursday, June 1, with a parade attended by the Governor-General at Puckapunyal Military Base.
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The parade was open to the public and there was also a display of historic military vehicles, modern military vehicles, Air Dispatch displays and the 26 Transport Squadron’s camel mascots Penny and Vernon.
Formed on June 1, 1973, with the amalgamation of various elements from the Royal Australian Army Service Corps and the Royal Australian Engineers Transportation Service, the corps was formed with a focus on transportation and logistics as we know it today.
It has been responsible for the movement of the Army, the Joint Force, its equipment and personnel using all modes of transport available.
From driver specialists to air dispatch, cargo specialists, operator movements and marine specialists, the corps has a more diverse range of specialised roles than most other Australian Army Corps.
RACT deputy head of corps and School of Transport commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Philippa Cleary helped the soldiers prepare for the parade.
She said that soldiers belonging to the core travelled from all over Australia, arriving at Puckapunyal on Sunday May 28, to begin preparing for the ceremony.
“They did a great job. We have asked a lot of them to come down here and do this but now they are a part of history,” she said.
Governor-General David Hurley attended the parade, and in a speech he congratulated the corps on the 50th anniversary.
“Today we celebrate you and your forebears. We celebrate 50 years of service to our nation by your corps. We also celebrate the people of the corps ... and the contributions of their families,” Mr Hurley said.
“On this day 50 years ago, several thousand people gathered here at Puckapunyal. I remember it vaguely, I was a cadet at Duntroon at the time.
“It was to be a significant day in the history of the army and Australian Defence Force. The army was in the midst of organisational reform post-Vietnam and there was a requirement to improve efficiency.”
He said the reform greatly improved the army’s efficiency and capability, a credit to the corps members.
“This capability has been demonstrated on every operation since that time,” Mr Hurley said.
“The corps has played a critical enabling function for the army and ADF ... using all modes of transport available.
“I have benefited from, tasked and deployed most of the corps’ capabilities during my career, always confident in the outcome.”
He thanked past members for their service and said current members inheriting this legacy carried great responsibility to maintain the standard.
He then conducted a review of the parade.
Former RACT member Louisa Prucher with husband Joshua Prucher and son Sam Prucher, who are both current members. Joshua and Sam were in Cadets, however Sam followed in Louisa's footstep, driving the trucks.
Private Malaika Stokes joined the RACT in 2020, having previously worked for Volkswagen as an apprentice mechanic. “My favourite part so far is getting exposure to other corps, I love it,” Malaika said. Malaika has made sacrifices to join the army, separated from her daughter Cynthia for the first year of her life while Malaika was training. “The only thing that pushed me through the training was the life I would be able to give her. I now get to give her a life, that she gets to experience, that is not the same as everyone else.”
The camel is the mascot for the RACT. During World War I, camels were used as a mode of freight transport by the Australian Army. Charmaine Fox became a camel handler about six months ago. Charmaine takes camels Penny and Vernon to events and cares for them. “I’m a very big animal person. They have been a big part of my career so far and to have it as my first posting is just incredible,” Charmaine said. “They can tow over 2.5 tons and carry 500kg on their backs. They were basically the original trucks of the army, that’s why we chose them as our mascot. I think they represent trucks pretty damn well.”
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