The RCR Association Documents
3 RCR Change of Command
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Under a cloudless sky on the Simmonds Parade Grounds at CFB Petawawa, the soldiers of 3rd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment were formally introduced to their new command team at a change of command ceremony and parade on Tuesday morning.
Leaving the CO post was Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Cameron, who was first given the post back in June, 2009. LCol Cameron's dedication to, and affection for, the battalion was clear throughout his farewell address.
"This is where my heart it," he said to the assembled companies. "This is home to me, so you can appreciate that I leave with a pretty significant sense of sadness, but also a tremendous sense of pride."
Emphasizing the cohesion, loyalty and co-operation of the soldiers in 3 RCR, Cameron acknowledged the accomplishments and leaps made by the battalion over the two years of his command, but downplayed his individual role in them, in favour of a more corporate responsibility for the improvements.
"This was never my battalion. This was our battalion."
From Petawawa, LCol Cameron will be headed to more urban climes as he assumes his new post - in operations at Joint Task Force Central in Toronto.
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Assuming command of the battalion is LCol David Quick, a self-stated man of few words, but who gratefully accepted his new responsibilities in a short address.
Dedicating the entire parade to his mother on the occasion of her birthday, LCol Quick praised the work of LCol Cameron, stating, "all I'll be doing is changing magazines," and promising to "stay the course on the bearing" set by the outgoing command team.
Like his predecessor, LCol Quick tried to maintain a low profile in favour of the soldiers newly under his command.
"Today, it's about the team standing in front of me," he said.
"They say we're shaped by our experience, and by the people around us. I've always been motivated by the soldier," he added, saying that after having had the opportunity to work with both the first and second battalions of the RCR, he was sure that he'd saved the best for last.
The other new face on the command team is the new Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Keith Olstad, taking over for outgoing RSM, Chief Warrant Officer Wayne Bartlett.
In addition to the formalities of changing commanding officers, the crowd and dignitaries were treated to a display of precision and co-ordination in parade form, with the soldiers being inspected by reviewing officer, 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2 CMBG) commanding officer Col Wayne Eyre, himself scheduled for a change of command later this week. He was accompanied by the Colonel of the Regiment, Col. W.J. (Joe) Aitchison, who himself spent nearly 38 years as an officer in the RCR.
Story courtesy of Ryan Paulsen, The Daily Observer, Pembroke Ontario