BRUNEI-MUARA

THE former Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) was feted to a regimental dinner yesterday in honour of his 26 years of military service.

Hundreds of uniformed personnel, meticulously dressed in their mess kits, dined at the Officers’ Mess in Berakas Garrison to bid adieu to Major General Dato Paduka Hj Aminuddin Ihsan Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Hj Abidin.

Steeped in military tradition and customs, the gathering commenced with the call of the bugle announcing the former RBAF commander’s arrival.

On hand to welcome Major General Dato Hj Aminuddin Ihsan and his spouse, Datin Nurhayana Janis Abdullah, was the new Commander of the RBAF, Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohd Tawih, alongside his wife, Datin Zulia Basman.

After briefly mingling with their peers, both leaders and their wives made their way along the red carpet to the head of the table.

Extending from one end of the Officers’ Mess to the other, the dining table was a sight to behold as uniformed personnel and their partners were seated for a night of grandeur.

The dinner also saw several musical performances from the RBAF Band. The former commander also took centre stage to conduct the band for the evening’s final song.

On Thursday, an official duty handover ceremony was held at the Parade Square of the First Battalion in Berakas Garrison.

Major General Dato Hj Aminuddin Ihsan served as Commander of the RBAF for four years from December 31, 2009.

Prior to assuming his position as the eighth Commander of the RBAF, he held numerous staff and command appointments including Commandant of the RBAF Training Institute and Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Forces.

The Brunei Times