Senior Under Officer Katherine Clarkson from Mackay was awarded both the Sword of Honour and Queen’s Medal at Tuesday’s Duntroon Royal Military College graduation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The event was the first to be presided over by RMC Commandant Brigadier Dianne Gallasch.
Brigadier Gallasch, who replaced Brigadier David Luhrs in July, is the first female commandant in the 102-year history of the college.
Duntroon predates the establishment of Canberra by two years.
Staff cadet Clarkson, a former teacher and rowing co-ordinator at Brisbane’s Stuartholme School, joined the Army Reserve in 2011. She transferred to the regular army and enrolled at Duntroon in 2012.
Her first posting will be to the 2/14 Light Horse Regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps.
While it is not the first time RMC’s two major awards, both of which are merit based, have been awarded to the same person, it is not a common occurrence.
The Sword of Honour, which recognises exemplary conduct and performance of duty, acknowledges soldier-like qualities.
The Queen’s Medal, which is presented to the cadet graduating in first place in the graduating class, has a more academic focus.
About 70 cadets, about 10 per cent of whom were women with a similar proportion from overseas, took part in the morning graduation parade and commissioning ceremony at the college.
At the end of the parade, cadets celebrated by throwing their hats into the air. Each hat has the name sewn into it so that it can be returned to the rightful owner.
The commissioning ceremony was followed by the traditional lunch for cadets, their families and college staff in the staff cadets’ mess.
The graduation ball, to be held at the National Convention Centre on Tuesday night, marks the real coming of age for the new officers.
Commissions take effect at midnight and each newly minted officer’s pips are traditionally pinned on their dress uniform jacket by a member of the opposite sex who loves them.
