1992

The Premier Regiment

Dining In Night

By Mick Spring.

In 1992 at the Premier Regiment in June or July we were required to do the same thing. Keith Martin was the PMC and RSM of the Regiment. One Friday night we had a "bucks" dinner, with the regiment just having returned from exercise on the Thursday arvo or Friday morning from TCBTA. Like you, I was the CCLK, and also at short notice of the dinner arrangements, I was also declared Mr Vice as I had been commanding the rear details detachment. Keith thought it would be a good idea as the junior sergeants had just arrived home from the bush trip. The BSM's were:

HQ BTY - Blue Harvey

101 Fd Bty - Brian McCarthy - BG - Mick Mahady

104 Fd Bty - Andy Able - Acting BG (from memory) was SGT Bear Rayment

105 Fd Bty - Bob Dunlop - BG - Graeme Lakey

RQ - WO1 Gaby Hayes

TPT SPV - WO2 Peter Steele

The invited guest was LTCOL Frank Roberts, CO.

As you can imagine, with the lads being out bush for two to three weeks, their alcohol tolerance was probably not as good as it normally is. The dinner started like any other that you or I have attended through the years, with chatter, quick consumption of alcohol, not enough of it and being served by gunners who had just gotten back from a longish bush trip who did not want to be there and wanted to be home with their families or in town on the piss.

The service of the food was very slow and it seemed like an eternity until the main course was served. Like you, the boys had started stashing bottles of red and white at their feet and were hooking in fiercely. As Mr Vice I had noticed what was going on and called over the Mess Supervisor, CPL Max O'Halloran to put a halt to the wine being poured and bought out and to inform the PMC that was what I was doing. Now, Keith, obviously had a plan in mind that he did not share and instructed Max to keep serving the wine and to inform me that was his decision. I thought, ok, this is going to get ugly. After the top table had cleared, I went up the top and called a few people up of course, a couple of jokes then out for coffee etc. Some were more than glad to head home after the CO had departed and many stayed on until the early hours. It was not by far the rowdiest dining in night I have attended, however, extras were handed out on Monday morning from Keith to many, and then he called me into his office, along with the BSM's to advise us that we were  to have a resit the following Wednesday.

"Wednesday I said, that's State of Origin night Sir". He just looked up and said, "yep". We filed out of his office shaking our heads. The boys were not happy. Wednesday night rolls around, dinner is on, was the longest dining in night I have ever attended, we sat down at 1900 and rose and 2350 to the ante room. Keith had four TV's bought into the mess and hooked up so we could watch the SOO whilst doing a dinner. Later that night, or early morning, I said to Keith, "you planned this all along didn't you Sir". He said, "Chief I've got a 9 month old baby at home, I was not going to be interrupted watching my beloved NSW flog this bunch of Queenslanders". I had to smile and said, "well played Sir, well played". For the record, NSW won the series 2 - 1.