RAA Liaison Letter 2025/2026 Edition 20 development opportunity that included visits to units in and around Larkhill and other cultural experiences in London. These prizes would not be possible without the tireless work of Major Gary Down in the HOR Cell and the financial backing of the Gunners Fund that relies solely on your donations. The Royal Australian Artillery National Memorial (RAANM) Extension Project made great progress during 2025. This project will ensure that the significant service of Gunners over the last 50 years is reflected on our memorial alongside those wars and campaigns already captured. It will also allow for the easy recognition of the service of the current and next generation of Gunners on future campaigns and operations. The project team of dedicated volunteers – Matt White, Charles Weller, Andi Dimmock and Darryl Kelly, with support from Mike Crane – has driven fund raising efforts, worked with architects and the National Capital Authority to further the design and approval process. I have been impressed, and humbled, by the deep generosity of our community of former serving Gunners, Gunner associations and organisations, and industry who have provided most of the funds raised to date. At the beginning of 2026 we are about $200,000 short of our $600,000 target, so I ask you all to dig a little deeper and help raise awareness of the project so we can bring the project to fruition in 2027. On behalf of all Gunners, I acknowledge all the departing COs, BCs, RSMs and BSMs and thank them for their leadership, stewardship, and their service to the men and women of the RAA. I congratulate and welcome their successors and wish them every success and ‘good shooting’. I also welcome the incoming Head of Regiment, Brigadier Andrew Langford who took over from Brigadier Damian Hill on St Barbara’s Day. Andrew’s extensive time as a capability and proofing officer has seen his fingerprints on most of the equipment you find in our gun bays and hangars, and the ammunition we fire. I look forward to working closely with him in the coming years. Finally, I would like to recognise and thank Damian Hill for his passion and commitment to the RAA over four years as Head of Regiment. Amongst many initiatives he championed, his work to conceive and launch the ‘All Ranks Recognition’ initiative is worthy of special acknowledgement. This initiative, funded by Gunners for Gunners through the Gunners Fund, ensures that all Gunners who leave the RAA or transition service category are recognised with an RAA pin and certificate regardless the duration of their service. This important gesture has drawn significant acclaim and interest from across our community and importantly underscores our connection with each other and between past, present and future, and ensures that ‘Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner’ is more than a statement. Ubique, Craig Furini January 2026 New Colonel Commandant 9th Regiment RAA Colonel Jason Cooke Colonel Jason Cooke is an active serving officer of the Australian Army with 42 years’ service across a range of postings within operational formations, training institutions and support organisations. His current posting is Director Information Management for Military Personal Division. He graduated Dux of his course in 1987 and commissioned into the Intelligence Corps commencing his non-corps regimental training at 2nd/15th Field Regiment RAA. He returned to 3rd Division Intelligence Company for a couple of years but due to a restructure of the reserves in Victoria he transferred to Artillery. He has held all key positions within the Regiment, including Gun Position Officer, Forward Observer, Battery Captain, Battery Commander and Operations Officer and Commanding Officer. During his posting as Commanding Officer 2nd/10th Field Regiment, he provided 2nd Division with leadership and subject matter expertise for the conversion of all 2nd Division RAA units to mortars. He has also held roles as Deputy Commander 4th Brigade, the Commander Army Cadet Brigade Victoria and Deputy Commander of the task force during domestic operation in Victoria. In 2009, as the Chief of Staff 4th Brigade during the Black
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