Page 106 - Chronicle Vol 17

REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS
The high of 2023 for RHQ was the highly successful and enjoyable Biennial Awards Dinner that took place in Guildhall, London, attended by 350 hosts and guests drawn from across the 5 pillars of The Rifles. The low was the sudden and tragic death of Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Dick Ovey, who had only very recently retired from the Army and taken up the key officer recruiting role in Winchester. The whole of the Regiment’s condolences and support for his family were tangible in the packed church at his funeral in Henley.
Between this pendulum swing of emotions, the rou- tine business of RHQ continued throughout 2023 at pace. The number of requests for individual benev- olent grants from Riflemen and their close families continued to rise following the Covid Pandemic lull; undoubtedly reflecting a return to routine business of the Army’s SSAFA and RBL case workers, today’s cost of living pressures, and better awareness of the regimental support available to those in need that the Always a Rifleman Programme (AARP) has generated. The welfare report elsewhere in this
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