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Australian Defence Apparel camouflage is a common sight on Aussie troops, but now the defence manufacturer has partnered with Legacy Australia to supply 1,500 uniforms for The 2023 Legacy Centenary Torch Relay.
The torch relay, presented by Defence Health, starts in Pozieres, France on 23 April this year and travels 55,000 kilometres around the world in the arms of 1,500 torchbearers. It also carries special significance as the 100th year of Legacy Australia.
The relay leaves France on Anzac Day and treks to London, then Perth, and around Australia passing through more than 112 locations before arriving at the finish in Melbourne for the Centenary Conference around 13 October.
The six-month event stops at all 45 Legacy Clubs and aims to raise more than $10 million to support the families of Australian Defence Force men and women who lost their lives or health in conflict.
Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) lead designer Melinda Suares, who created and put the 1,500 torchbearer uniforms into production, said initial design concepts and meetings had been worked on for around five months before the final product was made.
“The key element of the design was showcased through a sublimated print. The centenary torch logo was an essential part of this uniform design, incorporating the red and blue hues from the logo,” she said.
“The design is then complimented with intertwining strips that emerge upon the legacy logo on the chest.
“The light green and blue stripes form two helping hands, which touch the end of the torch relay logo. This represents (the) unity and harmonious help both Legacy and Defence Health do to support veterans and their families with stability, guidance and care.
“It was about capturing the true essence of Legacy and what the foundation was all about. Understanding the meaning behind the 100-year centenary torch relay was important in the initial design concept stage.”
ADA chose a validated fit for the t-shirts, shorts, and trackpants and worked with Perfect Events to make minor changes and cater to the people who would be wearing it, she said.
The Australian defence manufacturer will also be contributing to the event at various community days, profiling individual torch bearers, manufacturing bespoke products to support the relay and hosting a Bendigo Factory tour with Legacy volunteers.
Legacy Australia chairman Eric Easterbrook OAM, said the relay is a wonderful opportunity to commemorate 100 years of Legacy supporting veterans’ families.
“Legacy’s centenary is an important commemoration for our nation. It recognises the sacrifice of so many families over the past century as well as the efforts of countless volunteers who have supported them throughout grief and hardship,” he said.
“Their support will help Legacy remain strong for another 100 years and continue to support and empower all our veterans’ families to build their best future.”
By: Robert Dougherty – Defence Connect
ADA (AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE APPAREL PTY LTD) has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Award for “Leader in Textile, Clothing, and Footwear”. This is a remarkable achievement for the company as VMHOFA celebrates its 22nd year.
Today, ADA proudly announces a unique collaboration with the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation (AKKF), an organisation committed to empowering young people to thrive beyond the impacts of family mental illness; together, they are set to unveil and welcome ‘DIGGER’, the Plushie Pup with a Purpose.
Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) proudly announces an industry-first collaboration with Indigenous Design Labs (IDL), marking a significant milestone set to champion and showcase Indigenous youth creativity and community engagement.
Palmerston North's building its case as our Defence Force capital — along with nearby bases, it now has a new warehouse home to the nation's military uniforms.
All the kit a New Zealand soldier, sailor or aviator can wear or carry has started passing through Palmerston North’s newest distribution centre. ADA NZ’s leased warehouse near Milson Airport has been officially opened and is fully operational with room to grow the business.
Australian Defence Apparel (ADA), Australia’s primary manufacturer of high-tech uniforms and equipment, and Nova Systems, a leading Australian-owned engineering services and technology solutions company, today announced a partnership to deliver high-tech innovative clothing systems solutions for uniform requirements.
ADA has established a proven track record of designing, manufacturing and managing apparel programs across the military, law enforcement, healthcare and numerous government and corporate industries. The partnership between ADA and Nova Systems will allow for the implementation of comprehensive clothing programs to meet the unique demands of clients underpinned by data-driven insights and engineering management expertise.
“It is my pleasure to announce that ADA is continuing to engage with local industry partners to advance our services. Nova Systems is renowned for its advanced systems integration solutions, and our combined capabilities will ensure superior outcomes for clothing program management,” said Chris Dixon, Chief Executive Officer of ADA.
ADA is committed to innovation and modernisation, to ensure clients have access to high-tech apparel systems that are enhanced by seamless fitting solutions and processes.
ADA plans to apply systems engineering methods and processes aligning with policies, as well as meeting the needs of the Services Clothing Manual to deliver the full program scope with certainty, ensure robust engineering processes, and meet the challenges of technical data transparency.
The partnership and development of a Clothing Programs Engineering Support system will encompass research and material sourcing, establishing user requirements, design and development, patternmaking and grading, rapid prototyping, technical data, drawings and specifications.
Nova Systems is experienced in complex program delivery and is a trusted partner to the Australian Defence Force, supporting major Defence projects for the past two decades.
Nova Systems Chief Executive Officer Jim McDowell said: “Nova Systems brings truly sovereign, world-leading systems engineering, digital engineering, integrated logistics support and engineering management expertise to the ADA partnership, ultimately ensuring our Defence personnel are equipped with the best, cutting-edge clothing systems to protect our servicemen and women on the front-line.
“Our partnership provides a turn-key solution for all clothing requirements supporting everything from manufacturing, sourcing, engineering and logistics, and it’s for this reason, we believe we are a really strong team.”
At ADA, we understand that modern slavery is a complex and evolving challenge that requires our proactive engagement. This statement reflects the efforts we have made to prevent, identify, and mitigate the risks of modern slavery within our business and throughout our supply chain.
The New Zealand Defence Force will receive the latest fitted uniforms and equipment under a new partnership between Australian Defence Apparel New Zealand and Australian 3D-scanning technology company, Bodd.
The Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) subsidiary will work with Bodd’s real-time scanning technology to provide instant sizing matched to each service personnel’s measurements.
By matching the scanned proportions of a recruit against the inventory of every item of clothing they require for their duties, a unique database is developed as part of their NZDF record.
The 3D scanners are manufactured in Australia through a Bodd partnership with Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions.
The technology is expected to drastically reduce resource requirements and significantly speed up traditional manual fitting processes, according to ADA chief executive officer Chris Dixon.
“ADA’s partnership with Bodd is instrumental in delivering on our commitment to combine leading textiles and new technologies to solve apparel distribution challenges,” he said.
“This revolutionary digital fitting technology allows for a seamless user experience, as it drastically reduces time required for fitting and kitting of defence personnel. We are excited to be rolling this out first to the NZDF this year.”
ADA is expected to make the digital fitting technology and its benefits available across military, law enforcement, healthcare, government, and corporate industries.
Bodd co-founder and chief executive Rob Fisher said in the future, NZDF will have optional access to additional data regarding health and wellness information which can be derived from a scan session.
“This is one of Bodd’s first military deployments, following successful implementations globally across a range of protective and government services. We are incredibly excited to be rolling out with a local defence partner right here in our own backyard,” he said.
“With our world-class technology, we can size a recruit to an incredible degree of accuracy. From 30 to 45 seconds of scanning, they can be fitted head to toe, from combat clothing to service dress uniforms, including footwear and accessories.
“It’s almost limitless what you can do.”
