8th / 9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment The 8th / 9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 8 / 9 RAR ) is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . It was originally formed in 1973 by linking together both the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment . Over the next twenty - four years the battalion would remain on the Australian Order of Battle based at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane , Queensland , until it was disbanded in 1997 amid a number of Defence - wide cutbacks introduced by the Howard government . In 2006 it was announced that the battalion would be re - raised as part of a plan to expand the size of the Army and since then it has established itself as a fully deployable motorised infantry battalion as part of 7th Brigade . History . 8 / 9 RAR was formed on 31 October 1973 by linking 8th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment and 9th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment as part of cutbacks to the army following the end of the Vietnam War . Upon formation the unit was based at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane where it formed part of the 6th Brigade . The battalion ' s first major task came in the wake of the 1974 Brisbane flood , when it assisted with the subsequent disaster relief and clean up efforts . During the 1980s the battalion lost a large number of its personnel to the 1st and 2nd Battalions , Royal Australian Regiment as part of the Operational Deployment Force , but nevertheless undertook the task of maintaining the Army ' s amphibious and urban operations specialisations . In 1990 , it took on a further role of training Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel . In January 1992 , the battalion took on the role of a Ready Reserve unit . Under this scheme Ready Reserve soldiers were posted to the battalion for an initial 12 month full - time period , followed by a further period of four years part - time . On 10 October 1992 , the battalion received the Right to the Freedom of Entry to the City of Brisbane . In 1996 , the Ready Reserve scheme was abolished by the incoming Howard government , and shortly after this , as part of a restructuring of the Army , 8 / 9 RAR was disbanded on 30 June 1997 . On 24 August 2006 Prime Minister John Howard announced that the battalion would be re - raised under a new plan to increase the size of the Army . The battalion would continue to be called the 8 / 9th Battalion and would be based in South East Queensland . On 2 October 2007 the Australian Government announced that 8 / 9 RAR would be re - raised to be operationally deployable by 2010 , and a full battalion by 2011 . The battalion would be based in Brisbane at Enoggera Barracks , as part of the 7th Brigade . The battalion was officially re - raised on 31 October 2007 , and was rapidly established as a motorised unit , equipped with Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle s . Although originally it was intended that the battalion would consist of two motorised rifle companies , a support company and an administration company , this structure was deemed unworkable and the battalion was subsequently reorganised . By mid - 2009 , the battalion consisted of 620 personnel organised into one motorised rifle company , one light infantry company , a manouvre support company and a combat service support company . Meanwhile , 7th Brigade was transformed into a regular motorised formation , following the transfer of its reserve infantry battalions to 11th Brigade . By 2010 , 8 / 9 RAR was established as a motorised infantry battalion , and with 6 RAR and 2 / 14 Light Horse ( QMI ) is one of three deployable Battle Groups in the brigade . In late - February 2010 , 130 soldiers from the battalion ' s ' A ' Company took over responsibility of the Timor Leste Task Group , replacing 2 RAR in East Timor . This force was rotated back to Australia in June 2010 after a four - month deployment , and was replaced by ' B ' Company , 8 / 9RAR . The battalion has also contributed small numbers of personnel to Operations Slipper , Anode , Pakistan Assist , and was heavily involved in search and rescue efforts during the 2010 – 2011 Queensland floods , deploying to its emergency support force on short notice to Grantham in the Lockyer Valley . As of mid - 2011 , 8 / 9 RAR consists of a battalion headquarters , three rifle companies and an operational support company . In late December 2011 8 / 9RAR deployed to Uruzgan Province , Afghanistan as part of MTF - 4 . They returned home in June 2012 . Traditions . The battalion lanyard is coloured slate grey and beech brown and these colours are used elsewhere in sporting uniforms and the like . The official battalion march is " The Brown and Grey Lanyard " but the unofficial march is " Black Bear " with a boisterous ' OY ' inserted in the appropriate places . The 8 / 9 RAR mascot is a stud merino ram officially named John Macarthur , after the Australian wool pioneer , but known affectionately to the diggers as ' Stan the Ram ' . Former Chief of Army Lieutenant - General Peter Leahy is a past Commanding Officer of the battalion . Current composition . 8 / 9 RAR currently consists of : Commanding Officers . The following table lists the Commanding Officers of 8 / 9 RAR : Regimental Sergeant Majors . The following table lists the Regimental Sergeant Majors of 8 / 9 RAR : 8th / 9th Battalion Association . The Battalion Association was created to perpetuate the memory of the unit when it was initially disbanded in 1997 . With resurrection in 2007 , the association now serves as the conduit for past , present and future members .