Awards shared in military skills comp
Personnel from 7th Brigade have participated in the military skills competition as part of the Commander’s Trophy in early November.
CAPTION: Soldiers take part in the 2024 7th Brigade military skills competition as part of the Commander’s Trophy at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane. Story by Captain Cody Tsaousis. Photos by Corporal Dustin Anderson.
They completed a number of activities over three days at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane, testing their mental capacity and physical resilience.
6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR), claimed the overall military skills trophy after performing best at the bayonet assault course and combat shooting, with 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment crowned champions of the obstacle course and water crossing.
1 Section 6RAR claimed the title of best-performing section, which led to Corporal Matthew McMahon being given the inaugural award for best junior non-commissioned officer.
CAPTION: Corporal Matthew McMahon, left, accepts the award on behalf of 1 Section for the bayonet assault course from Commander 7th Brigade, Brigadier Giles Cornelia, during the 7th Brigade military skills competition.
He said they spent just over a week beforehand training together.
“So getting to this level in the short amount of time we had is outstanding,” Corporal McMahon said.
“All throughout the competition our morale was high, but we were humble and in each activity we retained our professionalism in order to get the job done.”
He said a culture of fitness and readiness within the unit was key to their success.
CAPTION: A soldier tests his physical strength and endurance during the 7th Brigade military skills competition.
One soldier who embodied that was Private Andrew Kennedy, who was named champion soldier.
Private Kennedy performed well across multiple events and was proud, albeit surprised, to have his name called out by 7th Brigade Commander Brigadier Giles Cornelia at the awards ceremony.
“It’s a very proud moment and I’m really happy with my effort, and the team really crushed it,” Private Kennedy said.
“The official lead-up wasn’t that long, but to be honest the lead-up has been my whole career, and I’ve had plenty of time to learn these skills and work hard on improving them.
“I was shocked when I heard my name for the award. I was really proud but you always think you could have done better.”
Points from the competition count towards the Commander’s Trophy, which encompasses Run Army, king of the hill, tug-of-war and the combative’s tournament.
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