Lt. Col. Eddie Lamb presided over his last Bermuda Regiment Recruit Camp Open House on Saturday.

Hundreds of well-wishers turned up at Warwick Camp to watch new recruits parade and compete. The event was held as a conclusion of the two-week boot camp.

The camp is the first step the young men take in their Regiment career. Officers in charge of the camp spent two weeks putting the young men through their paces and whipping them into physical shape. This year there were 185 recruits.

For 14 days their lives consisted of uniform inspections, drill practises, long runs and early morning swims.

On Saturday, Lt. Col. Lamb said he was very proud of this year's recruits and noted that there have been a welcome lack of disciplinary issues this year.

Lt. Col. Lamb volunteered for the Bermuda Regiment in 1980 and has been its Commanding Officer since 2002. Prior to being made Commanding Officer he held a variety of posts within the Regiment, notably Aide-de-Camp to Governor Lord Waddington between 1992 and 1994. He was also Adjutant from 1997 to 2000.

Under the leadership of Lt. Col. Lamb this year's recruits took matters into their own hands and removed anti-Police graffiti from a nearby wall.

Lt. Col. Lamb ordered officers and recruits to paint over the graffiti after he read about it in The Royal Gazette. The wall was filled with slogans including "Southside Mafia" and "Cop Killers".

During his address to the platoons, he said their service in the Bermuda Regiment would make them better family members and more productive Bermudians. He said their service would be one of excellence and honour unlike people who sit on walls and do a disservice to the Island.

Acting Premier Paula Cox attended the afternoon ceremony along with a number of MPs. She saluted Lt. Col. Lamb for his dedication and service to the Island. She also praised him and the recruits for being doing good deeds for the Island.

"Too often in Bermuda we celebrate the pursuit of go-getters over do-gooders," she said. "You represent the best of the Island and the importance of being do-gooders."

Prior to the speeches the recruits showed off their newly acquired skills in a drill competition. The winners of the competition were announced after numerous other prizes were awarded to the platoons and individuals for excelling in various skills throughout the camp such as marksmanship, housekeeping and football matches. This year's prizes were cases of beer and soft drinks. The award everyone was waiting for, however, was the drill competition and the crowd burst into cheers when it was announced that Platoon 9 had won. Their drill seemed more complicated and involved some tricks that the other groups had not done. The crowed roared with delight after one of their tricks causing one of the recruits to mishear a command and turn the wrong way. Many people worried that the over enthusiastic crowd had cost the platoon its deserving win, but it proved to be an unnecessary concern.

Alex Smith was one of the enthusiastic crowd members who stood for hours to catch a glimpse of her loved ones.

Ms Smith came to watch her brother and boyfriend who are both members of Platoon 9.

"I am so excited for them, I hope they enjoy their beers because they deserve it," she said. "It's amazing to see what they have done in two short weeks."

Ms Smith said she had spoken to both young men throughout the camp and they said the experience was tough but fun. One thing both men had commented on which surprised her was the fact that the meals at the camp is excellent

This was the first time she had been to the Regiment open house event and said the platoons appeared to be quite professional. Private Thomas Greenslade quickly spoke to The Royal Gazette in the few minutes he had to hug family and friends who came to watch him.

"It's been tough, but nothing I can't handle," he said. "The five mile runs and early morning swims aren't great.

"The best part about the camp is the social element. I have met so many people from diverse backgrounds, I've made a of new friends."