Commemorative Royal Australian Regiment beret: Corporal M R A Hopkins, 7 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment

Rifle green coloured wool beret with metal Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) badge on front. On the inside of the crown is printed in white ink 'KENT, tm' underneath a crown between two lines. Underneath this manufacturer's design is printed 'PURE WOOL / MEDIUM'. The beret has a black nylon headband with small scuffs indicating use. On the inside rear of the beret is a white silk manufacturers tag with 'Christies Sydney' printed in black ink.

This beret is associated with the loss of Corporal Matthew Ricky Andrew 'Hoppy' Hopkins in Afghanistan in 2009 and was left on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier at the Australian War Memorial on the afternoon of Monday 6 July 2009 by an unknown visitor. It is believed that this person knew Corporal Hopkins closely or served alongside him in Afghanistan. A hand written note left with this beret reads : 'To the eternal memory of our fallen warrior brother CPL Matt Hopkins. Never forgotten by the Rogues of 2 PL 7 RAR BG, Afghanistan 08'-09' - DUTY FIRST -'.

Mathew Hopkins was born on 27 August 1987 in Christchurch, New Zealand. In 1988 his family left New Zealand and settled in Brisbane, Queensland. He enlisted into the Australian Regular Army on 28 March 2005. He was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps after his recruit training at Kapooka, near Wagga Wagga NSW. After he became a qualified rifleman, Private Hopkins was posted to the 5/7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR) on 10 September 2005, based at Palmerston Barracks in the Northern Territory.

He qualified as an M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier crewman driver and later as an M113 crewman commander. After successfully completing the relevant promotions courses he was promoted to lance corporal in June 2007 and corporal before his 21st birthday in August 2008.

He deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Slipper with the 1st Reconstruction Task Force (RTF 1) from November 2006 to April 2007. He remained with the 7th Battalion RAR (7RAR) after the delinking of 5/7 RAR on 3 December 2006.

He deployed to Afghanistan for a second time as a member of the Force Protection Combat Team (FPCT), known as Combat Team Tusk, with the 1st Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force (MRTF 1). He was a corporal section commander with FPCT.

During his second rotation on Operation Slipper he returned to Australia in February 2009 to marry his fiancee Victoria in Newcastle NSW, and to be present for the birth of his first child, a son named Alexander. He spent a total of four days with his new-born son and new wife before returning to Afghanistan.

Corporal Hopkins was killed in action on 16 March 2009 during a joint patrol as a member of the Australian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) serving alongside Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers near the village of Kakarak, 12 kilometres north of the Australian base at Tarin Kowt.