By Capt Simone Heyer

5RAR has started the year roaring, with the battalion having a change of command.

Lt-Col Darren Huxley became the newest big cat to lead "Tiger Battalion" and East Timor Battle Group 5 during a small ceremony in Dili on January 6.

The former Deputy Director Military Strategic Commitments Branch replaces Lt-Col Jake Ellwood, who has been CO 5RAR since December 2006 and was the initial commander of East Timor Battle Group 5.

It's a job he's very happy to take on.

"To command 5RAR is the greatest honour that I could have hoped for," Lt-Col Huxley said.

"It's a Battalion with a proud history - we have a great heritage to uphold. With successive deployments in Iraq and East Timor, I can say that the current generation of Tigers is doing a fantastic job."

Members of the battle Group paraded for the official handover ceremony, which included the exchanging of the battalion's CO sword.

Taking command of a battalion on operations is a challenge for any officer, but it's one that Lt-Col Huxley is relishing. "Any commander worth his salt should jump at the opportunity to lead soldiers on operations and I'm humbled that I have been given this responsibility.

With elements of 5RAR deployed on three different operations, Lt-Col Huxley is looking forward to tapping into the diverse operational experiences of his soldiers and using it to build upon the proud history of the battalion.

"It will be our task to harness this wide variety of experience and re-establish our core warfighting skills once we all return to Darwin."


Photo caption: On guard: Member of East Timor Battle Group 5 watch on as the 5RAR sword is passed from outgoing CO Lt-Col, Jake Ellwood, left, to Lt-Col Darren Huxley.

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