It has been the privilege of a lifetime to have been an Australian soldier. 

I have one final duty and one overwhelming emotion today and that is gratitude. 

‘Lest we forget’ is our individual and our collective promise, and so it's fitting to commence expressing my gratitude by honouring the memory of our fallen. 

The nearly 82,000 soldiers whose names are cast without embellishment, save for a poppy in the silent bronze panels that gird the soul of the Australian War Memorial. 

It is of course, personal. Each of them had a family, loved ones and mates. 

And today is personal for me too. 

And I remember those soldiers and Navy Seals, from Australia and the United States of America, abroad and at home, at the hands of our enemy, and in service of all natures who fell on my watch. 

I acknowledge the burden of grief and the sense of loss that weighs heavily on the hearts of their families and their loved ones. And my thoughts and prayers remain with you always. 

I'm grateful for the more than 4,000 soldiers who, as we gather here today, are deployed or stood too abroad and at home, today and tonight, and I thank their families for their service. 

The late Brigadier George Lyon Mansford reminded us that the oath to serve our country did not include a contract for normal luxury and comforts enjoyed within our society. 

On the contrary, it implied hardships, loyalty, and devotion to duty regardless of your rank. 

In these few sentences, George captures the essence of service and indeed the essence of soldiering. Through his quintessential combination of candour and compassion and his deep love of country, his fellow Australians and brothers and sisters in arms. He helped us to see ourselves, our duty and the inescapably visceral nature of our profession. 

Theodore Reed or TR Fehrenbach was elegantly blunt in his account of soldiering, remarking, "You may fly over land forever. You may bomb it, atomize it, and wipe it clean of life. But if you desire to defend it, protect it, and keep it for civilization, you must do this on the ground by putting your soldiers in the mud.” 

Put simply, the ultimate expression of national will and resolve is to place our soldiers on the ground and in harm's way. 

I am grateful for the wisdom of these two men, born equally of their personal experience and their scholarship. 

And I'm most grateful for the service of all those soldiers who wear our uniform today. 

I'm grateful for the way in which you have embraced our purpose, for building and maintaining trust. Trust in our teams, trust with our joint teammates, with our fellow Australians whom we exist to serve, trust with our government and trust with our allies and our partners. 

I'm grateful for the way that you have built our readiness. 

Readiness to fight tonight and comprehensively rewiring our Army to ensure our relevance and our survival among tomorrow's challenges. 

I'm grateful for your thrift and stewardship of the precious resources with which our nation entrusts us. 

And I'm grateful to you for adding your voice to telling our story. 

The story of the Australian Army. The story of 125 years of service, as a national institution, as a profession, and as a fighting force. 

In short, I'm grateful for your devotion and endeavour every day, to creating a future Army that is worthy of our past. 

I'm grateful for the privilege of being an Australian soldier. I'm grateful for the privilege of having led my fellow Australians and soldiers. And I am grateful, indeed, for the privilege of having led and commanded our Army. 

And I'm most grateful for the privilege of having done so in good company, in your company. 

You are among the ablest of soldiers in adversity and among our failures and our triumphs. You have been magnificent. 

You have been indefatigable. 

You have been of good heart and of sound character. 

I'm grateful to have served among your number and to have enjoyed your trust and your fellowship. 

These are the treasures of service. 

Those that cannot be bought or bestowed or indeed taken from us. 

They can only be earned and they are ours for a lifetime. 

As I draw my final remarks to a close, please forgive my indulgence. 

I extend my gratitude to all of you here today in this square. 

To the excellencies gathered, you honour us. 

To Miss Meghan Quinn, our Secretary, Godspeed. 

To Admiral Johnson, our CDF, and to Belinda, thank you for your leadership, your stewardship, and a lifetime of service to our nation and to our people. 

We wish you fair winds and following seas. 

To Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, our next CDF, and to Jody, our friends, every blessing. 

To my fellow chiefs and senior leaders, my sincere thanks for your friendship and for your support. 

To the indefatigable team, that is, Army Headquarters, my eternal admiration. 

And to the OCA team, a personal debt of gratitude. 

To those on parade today, our next generation of junior leaders and to the hardest working band in the country, the band of the Royal Military College Duntroon. You are our future and I am so very proud of you. 

To the former chiefs of our Army here with us today. I am grateful for their inheritance that you built. 

And to our 42nd chief, General Susan and Mark and to our 13th Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army, Warrant Officer Brad Doyle and Eliza. We are so very proud of you. 

We are so very confident in you. Go well. 

To our dear friends, 

To Aunty Lorraine and Dave,  

To General Rose and Warrant Officer Dave, our Kiwi sister and brother,  

To General Rick and Bronwyn Burr. 

To my battle buddy, the 12th Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army, Warrant Officer Kim Felmingham and Jeff. 

To all of our old friends, and new dear friends, all of you, we treasure the times that we've had together, and we treasure today's precious moments with you. 

To my sisters Dee and Anna and my brother Tim, always there, we love you. 

To our children, Evie and Charlie, we are so proud of the people that you have become. And I thank you for your service, both voluntary and involuntary. All your lives, love.  

And finally, to my darling Katy, you are my north star. 

Your counsel, love, patience, steel, devotion, constance, and deep humility have been my example every day we have had together all these years. 

I am so very much looking forward to our next adventure. 

“Till China and Africa meet and the salmon sing in the street for you all.”  

To you all, Duty first. Godspeed and good soldiering. Four one out.