The newest arrivals at the Australian Defence Force Academy have put on their first show, with planes, helicopters and the chief of the Defence Force playing a part in the opening year parade on Saturday.
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Dressed in their perfectly-pressed uniforms in public for the first time, 308 officer cadets and midshipmen – mostly 18– and 19-year olds – were reviewed by Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin in front of family and friends.
The grey skies were awakened by flyovers from a combination of Australian Army and navy helicopters before a final aerial tribute by the disconcertingly low-flying C-17 Royal Australian Air Force plane.
Queanbeyan raised third-year officer cadet Phoebe Sutherland said the parade was a huge event, marking the end of the initial five-week training which moves young civilians into the military.
"For me, I was a 17-year-old civilian just fresh out of school and then I marched off parade as an 18-year-old as an officer cadet, ready to embark on my military career," she said.
"You see your family and friends and they say to you, "Oh my god, look at you, the way you hold yourself and present yourself'."
ADFA Commandant Air Commodore Alan Clements said the first-year students – who were joined by about 550 later-year cadets and midshipmen, – performed well.
"What I saw today, the performance on the parade was really good, a very high standard and they can be really proud," he said.
"The discipline involved in being able to learn and do the manoeuvres that are on the program – whether it's hand-eye coordination, the ability to coordinate in a team, listen to orders, plan and execute, that's one of the skills that's required.
"And its about our history, the heritage we have as an organisation and as a nation."
The parade included about 60 first-year ADFA students from overseas countries including Thailand, Vietnam, the United States and New Zealand.
