Leopard Tank - Palmerston, Northern Territory, Australia - Military Ground Equipment Displays on Waymarking.com

The Leopards operated for almost 30 years and the closest they came to "action" was when several were loaded (and then quickly unloaded) onto a warship bound for East Timor during the 1999 conflict.

The German-made Leopards never fired a shot in anger and were replaced in 2007 by 59 second-hand US-built M1A1 Abrams tanks.

In September 2007 the Defence Department urged war veterans and historical groups to write in and tell them why they deserve a free decommissioned Leopard Tank.

To be eligible for consideration organisations needed to show that the tank will have historical or cultural significance.

Finally in May 2010, almost three years after they were promised to RSL clubs around Australia, the announcement was made that 29 Leopard tanks would be delivered at a cost of $950,000.

The Rudd Government honoured a pledge by the previous government to decommission the retired 42-tonne army battle tanks for RSL clubs in all states and territories, at a cost of $11,000 each.

The sticking point had been the extra $22,000 per machine to transport them.

South Australia received five of the armoured vehicles, New South Wales and Queensland both received six of the massive armoured vehicles, with five each going to RSL clubs in South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and one each to the ACT and Northern Territory.

I was present in Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia, in 2009 when a Welcome Home Parade was held for Australian Servicemen recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan was held in the city. Two M1A1 Abrams tanks, named (in accordance with Armoured Corps tradition) as 'ANZAC' and 'AXED', paraded and then were tasked to Hold Ground during the parade, and I was fortunate to capture photos of them arriving and leaving. I have included their photos here for comparison purposes.

I also took a photo of the traditional Riderless Horse which symbolizes those lost in battle.

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