22/02/2026
Ninth Legion - March
This weekend we took part in our annual March — a full kit march through the NSW State Pine Forest.
After a night of rain, the air was thick, hot and humid. The ground was heavy underfoot. Armour clung to the skin. Shields felt twice their weight. It didn’t take much imagination to picture the dense forests of Germania in 9AD — where three Roman legions were swallowed by terrain, weather, and an enemy that knew the woods better than they did.
As we moved in formation through the trees, visibility tightening and sweat pouring, it gave us a small taste of what those men may have endured. No paved roads. No open battle lines. Just forest, pressure, and the constant need for discipline. As the winds blew, the trees whispered in ancient Germanic words.....
We drilled shield formations against cavalry charges, locking scuta and bracing for impact. The crack of wood on wood echoed through the trees as we practiced holding the line. Later, we broke into group combat exercises across uneven ground, low branches catching at helmets and vines tugging at tunics — the kind of terrain that tests cohesion as much as courage.
For me, marching as Primus Pilus of the Ninth carries a different weight. It’s not just about enduring the heat or pushing through fatigue — it’s about setting the pace, holding the standard, and making sure the line never wavers. When you hear the laboured breathing of the men behind you and feel the formation tighten at your command, you understand something timeless about leadership. Rome was built on discipline and trust — and that bond is still forged the same way: step by step, shield by shield.
It was exhausting. It was hot. It was humid.
And it was brilliant.
Proud to lead and march beside such dedicated legionaries.
Roma Invicta
