G'day guys

I'll try not to drag on too much ...

The time has come that i leave you all, i wont be around for a long time.
I joined this site as a 13 year old kid, 5 years ago, im now 18, 19 in Feb, and about to begin my "life".
In 36 days i leave for a small place in the state of NSW called Kapooka, also known as the Australian Army Recruit Training Centre.
Ive signed up for 4 years, Rifleman, with hopes of going onto SASR.
Though its still a month and a bit till i do leave, my PC time till then will be minimal, which is why i post this now.

My training will take up a total of 6 months, 3 at Kapooka (basic training) then 3 at Singleton (Infantry training), after which i will be posted to one of our RAR's (Royal Australian Regiment), which for basic Infantry are located in Darwin, Townsville, and Brisbane, all of which are in the north of the country, and i currently live down south, so i will be a long way from home and anything really! :-)

Anyway, i just want to sincerely thank all of you whome ive come in contact with over the years here, you all have helped me so much, firstly in my modelling skills, were it not for Armorama and the people here, id still be painting everything simple on colours, and making a god aweful mess of things.
But you havent just helped me in my Modelling, many of you have become some of my dearest friends, i wont mention you all or this post will get far too long, you all know who you are, its been fantastic to meet and befriend so many different people, from so many different countries, and so many different walks of life.

I will try my best to maintain contact with you all, those of you who i speak to regularly you can count on hearing from me via e-mail (you can also contact me , i will respond!!) i will also try to post some hello's on here whenever i get the chance.

Anyways, thats it i guess, thankyou all again, feel free to E-mail me, PM me, whatever.
Cheers!!!

Good luck Dave.
Boot camp will be a memorable experience, "that's for sure, that's for dang sure"

Good luck and God be with you on your new adventure Dave. Hope it's exciting. Stay Safe!

Well, it looks like you may get to travel the world like you wanted afterall.

It's been quite a ride and it's been good to have you here. Your contributions will be missed.

Good luck - take care.

Good luck David and take care!

G'day Dave,

I wish you all the best in your new adventures. Perhaps someday we'll meet again.

Cheers, mate.

Rudi

Good luck on your new career. It will be difficult, challenging and adventurous and thats just the first week!! Hope to hear from you again once you settle into your first posting after recruit training and basic Infantry (Queen of Battle) training.

Doug

David

I wish you well during your training Just do what your instructors say,and everything will be ok It will be hard at times Go with a positive outlook A lot of us have been there Check in when you can mate

All the best David, with your new career. When things settle down, it´ll be great to see you back again!

good luck - Your choice to serve does you honor!

Good luck and take care. I must admit, from your posts I would have thought youwere much older, as in more mature, than you are.

Good Luck Dave - and take good care of yourself!

All the best

Rowan

Take care Dave and good luck

All the best Dave, good luck
Regards
Pete

my brother,
i wish you all the luck and lets keep contact via e-mail. keep safe Dave.

All the best young man...I wish I was going with you in some ways. You will always remember these days. From an old bone "look to your front...always."

Hi Dave

Good luck mate and I wish you all the best.

...and a thanks in advance for keeping me safe at night.

Cheers
Wiz

Dave

At last !!!!! the time is getting nearer. Keep your fitness level up before you go in and you will find that you will leave a lot of others behind.

At least you picked the warm time for Kapooka - probably only 30 - 42 degrees Celcius (which to a queenslander is a damn site better than ZERO in Winter) :-) .

I hear they a reforming 9 Battalion in Brisbane so if you get in there (or Brissy in general) get in touch as I am now half way between Brissy and the Gold Coast so we should be able to meet up (at last).

All the best - I know it will be tough but you will get through and in years to come will look back on initial training with fondness.

Brian

Good luck Dave

Andy

Hi David,
Over a year ago the thought of having an Aussie as one of my best mates was like getting dragged backwards through a hedge..sorry mate ...i'm ,never going to shrug off our trans -Tasman rivalry :-) .
On a serious note,when i first joined up on Armorama you were one of the guys who first encouraged me to get more into this hobby.I've learnt a great deal from you.
Your knowledge over modelling and anything W.W.2 or Vietnam is way beyond that of anyone of your age and it seems like a natural progression for you to join the army.I'm going to miss our phone calls,whether model related or just plain shooting the breeze about anything and everything.
I wish you the best of luck in the coming months digger,it's going to be hard yakka,but with the determination you have,and that Aussie pride you'll be able to shrug anything off your shoulders.
Kia Kaha(stay strong and proud)
Shay McKee

Gday mate
Good to meet you also, being the first Big A member I've ever met in person. I know you've had your heart set on the army, so all the best with your future which starts now!
One thing though...No swimming in rips ok?
P.S. Send me those ref pics so I can sculpt your insurgents...

Good luck Dave. Take Care.

Good luck, Dave. We'll keep you in our thoughts and miss you on the site.

Dave, I couldn't support you more in this decision- especially in light of the world situation. Semper Fi, from an old Jarhead.

And if I may pass on some hard won advice, it's this: 90% of basic is MENTAL. They are TRYING to screw your head. The lack of sleep, starvation rations, repetetive drill & movement coupled with sensory deprivation is all a recognized form of brainwashing. When you're at your coldest/wettest/hottest/philthiest and just not willing to take another step for these sadistic monsters, Remember-THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT! If they cannot break your spirit, then no amount of KP, PT, forced march, monkey drill, or whatever will beat you. It's ALL a mind game!

Get out there, give 'em hell, kick ass, & take names.


Forward the Colors!
LD

Looks like your off to a grand adventure David. For me it looks like it may be a while before we get so see how your batch of Airfix Jap figs is coming along. Do take care and your friends here will be looking forward to hear from you.