Two boys from the bush shook hands in the Middle East last month when Corowa's Matthew Finnemore was promoted by Wagga's Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
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Airfield Defence Guard Corporal Finnemore received his promotion at Camp Baird in the United Arab Emirates, the Australian Defence Force's national headquarters in the Middle East.
Corporal Finnemore is deployed as a member of the Expeditionary Airbase Operations Unit Five (EAOU-5), which provides sustained integrated airbase operations and aviation operational support.
"It was a shock, but a nice surprise, as I just assumed the commanding officer was going to promote me," Corporal Finnemore said.
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"I'm pretty honoured, as something like that will never happen again for the rest of my RAAF career."
Mr McCormack admitted it was his first time promoting an ADF member and asked for any tips.
"I just told him to just rip the old rank slide off and put on the new one," Corporal Finnemore said.
"It was a privilege to present Mathew with his new rank, an important recognition of his growing expertise and importance in the ADF," Mr McCormack said.
"I acknowledge the sacrifice our people make being away from family and friends for extended periods."
Corporal Finnemore said it was "great to see a local lad". "It just shows you what country kids can achieve given the right opportunities," he said.
