QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE AT THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE -- DUNTROON

On the 12th June 2010 - the same day Britain honours Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday with Trooping the Colour, Australia enjoyed a "Queen's Birthday Parade" at The Royal Military College at Duntroon.

The Royal Military College of Australia trains and educates the future officers of the Army.

'Colours' originated from the distinctive badges or crests on medieval banners and were used in the British Army originally as a means of identifying the location of the headquarters of regiments in battle. In time the Colours became a focal point of regimental esprit de corps.

The original Colours were first presented to the RMC by His Royal Highness the Duke of York (later King George VI) during his visit to Australia in 1927. These Colours are now lodged in the Headquarters of the Royal Military College of Australia, Patterson Hall. The Queen's Colour was trooped for the first time on the Queen's Birthday Parade in 1956. The present Colours were presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in May 1988.

This year's parade comprised 350 members of the Corps of Staff Cadets from all three classes at the College. The success of recruiting and retention efforts at the RMC sees the largest number of cadets on parade since 1998.

The RMC Band provided musical accompaniment for the Trooping the Colour ceremony.