Personal Recollections by

Sid Groves

I was fortune enough to be join 126 in Oct 1988 at the ripe old age of 37 and it was with some trepidation that I paraded on my first Tuesday night. All must have gone OK as I was off to Pucka in November for my basic training with 10 other new members of 126, all who were under 20 years of age.

Somehow, I got through our time at Pucka and went back to 126 in January 1989, not knowing by the end of the year there would only be only me and 2 other members still parading, out of the 11 who went to Pucka, by the end of the year.

Over the next few years there were many weekends away, 9 out of 10 weeks at one time, training up and I enjoyed every minute of it, because it was a personal challenge to keep up with the younger members of the unit who, much to my enjoy, treated me as one of them and involved me
in their social activities, some of which I can not mention, as what happens on exercise stays on exercise.

Memorable times were passing the Green Beret test, being award, the unit's Recruit of the Year, surviving Basic Para course, not so much the actual course, but the heavy nights in the boozer. Great times on two Kangeroo Exercises with a stop over in Darwin that is still talked about.

But the most treasured memory of my 7 years at 126 were the people who gave the unit a very strong feeling of camaraderie that made you look forward to Tuesday nights parade and weekends away.