Kapooka
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Kapooka is the name of the Australian Army Recruit Training Centre in New South Wales.
The Army Recruit Training Centre (ARTC) is located within Blamey Barracks, Kapooka, 9.5 km South-West of Wagga Wagga. The name Kapooka is derived from the local aboriginal dialect meaning "Place of Wind". Major General C.S. Steele choose this site as it was close to Field Marshall Sir Thomas Blamey's birthplace at Wagga Wagga.
The 1st Recruit Training Battalion (1RTB) was established at Kapooka in November 1951, with Lieutenant Colonel V.E. Dowdy appointed as the first Commanding Officer. During 1952 and 1953, 1RTB was joined by 2nd Recruit Training Battalion in temporary buildings on the ridge south of the main camp.
Most of the current facilities were constructed during 1965 and 1966 and officially opened on 6 December 1966 by the then Governor of New South Wales, Sir Roden Cutler, VC, KCMG, CBE. 1RTB conducted training for both national service and regular Army recruits, and during the Vietnam conflict between 1965 and 1972, in excess of 10,000 National Service man trained at Kapooka.
In 1985 Kapooka became responsible for the training of female recruits, who were previously trained at Georges Heights in Sydney.
Kapooka took on the additional responsibility of training some reserve recruits in 1993, as well as the Army's regular recruits. The Army Adventurous Training Wing moved from Bonegilla to Kapooka in 1998. On 1 December 1998 1RTB changed to an Individual Training Centre and its name changed to the Army Recruit Training Centre (ARTC). ARTC has two training wings, Recruit Training Wing (RTW) that trains all the regular and reserve recruits for the Army, and the Army Adventurous Training Wing that trains unit adventurous training leaders. ARTC is appropriately called the "Home of the Soldier".
Kapooka is also home to one of the Australian Army bands. It provides music for military ceremonies.
In October 2006, Recruit Training Wing formally changed its name back to the 1st Recruit Training Battalion (1RTB)