PARADES ARE FOR PARADE GROUNDS
It was not just the opening march... I thought the entire parade was a shambles.
Chance for the RAAF to showcase themselves in an event that would be watched by. a large audience and replayed many times over the following years wasted on a terrible venue. If you are going to hold a parade - do it on a parade ground not a garden setting that would have been appropriate for a cocktail party or morning tea. Surely there are plenty of places around Canberra where a decent parade could be staged with sufficient troops on the ground to show the RAAF in a good light to the nation.
As an ex Colour bearer (CFS 1979) and part of the team which organised the dual Colour presentation parade (CFS and SAN) at ESL that year I tuned in with the expectation of a ceremony and parade fitting the occasion only to be sorely disappointed. Very easy to get a fly past spot on with an advance in review order preceding it but not if you are parading on a postage stamp. What ever happened to sizing the troops so the ranks have symmetry - you can still do that and have the PC balance needed these days. Imagine the spectacle of all those Colours, Standards and Banners in a wide open setting with a full escort squadron - the day was made for it, the weather perfect for it.
Given her comments reported at the memorial service in London and the fact she chose to make it her first formal event for the year HRH is likely to watch a replay of the parade. I shudder to think what she will make of it.
MJG
P.S. It will take a while to repair the damage to the lawn as well.
Last edited by mgahan; 31st Mar 2021 at 22:35.
Reason: There's always one type