Royal New Zealand Regiment 1st Battalion and Canadian Light Infantry 2nd Battalion soldiers also joined this year’s competition.

Lieutenant Dion Firth of 3RAR commanded the firing range serial, which tests soldiers on their section defence techniques and combat behaviours.

“Each serial is designed to test soldiers on the skills expected from them in the field,” LT Firth said.

“As well as being a great challenge for our soldiers, this is also an opportunity for the ADF to share skills with the New Zealand and Canadian force elements.”

Commanding Officer of 3RAR, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Westhorpe, said it was great seeing a bit of healthy competition happening between the ADF and international forces.

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“The competition has been a fantastic way to foster stronger connections with allied forces, develop personal friendships and trust between soldiers and nations through military camaraderie,” LTCOL Westhorpe said.

“These longstanding relationships have been forged in battle and are strengthened through activities like Opie Trophy.

“I am very proud of the efforts of all the competitors involved.”

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.