On this day in 1986, The Canberra Times reported on the end of a lengthy tradition and institution in Canberra.
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More than 70 years of tradition at the Royal Military College Duntroon ended on December 9 when 149 first-class cadets marched from the college parade ground - shoes, bayonets and cap peaks glinting in a rare glimpse of morning sun.
The cadets were the last to complete academic studies at the college as responsibility for academic studies for all service cadets had been transferred to the Australian Defence Force Academy.
And while it was a last for the college, there were also some firsts, including the commissioning of 10 women, the graduation of married cadets and the graduation of a cadet from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force.
It was also the largest group of cadets to graduate from RMC, as a result of the transfer to the college of cadets from the Officer Cadet School at Portsea in Victoria which closed the previous year. Of the 149 cadets who graduated, 82 had completed four years' training at RMC.
Sixty-two of them would receive degrees and 20 would transfer to ADFA to complete engineering degrees or honours in science or arts.
Justice GJ Samuels, the chancellor of the University of NSW, which had been associated with the college for almost 20 years, said the graduation was the "final act of the remarkable association" between the college and the University of NSW. He said it was a celebration tinged with sadness but that the university would maintain its connection with the services through its links with ADFA.
The graduation parade of cadets was captured on page 26 of The Canberra Times to celebrate the significant day.
