Alumni Profiles

Mark GALLAGHER

• Graduated :

  1973

Description

After graduation I served in 8/9 RAR, Brisbane including a detachment to 1 RTB as a recruit Platoon Commander. In 1975 I was posted to 2/4 RAR, Townsville where I served in A and Admin Coy.

In 1978/79 I was posted to HQ 2MD, Sydney as SO3 Ops/Coord where I was involved in everything from briefing the Victoria Barracks Duty officer to the DFACP response to the Hilton bombing. Fran and I married in 1978 and are still together today.

In 1980/82 I was posted back to Townsville and 2/4 RAR as Regimental Signals Officer. During three years back in the battalion I was 2IC C Coy and deployed to Butterworth with D Coy. During this posting I participated in Ex Tropic Lightning in Hawaii. In 1982 I competed in my first of four Sydney to Hobart yacht races.

In 1983/84 I was posted to Infantry Centre as Adjt and when required fill in SI for Signals Wing. In 1985/86 I returned to Townsville to HQ 3 Bde as SO3 Ops 2 and then Ops/Air in the two years we did numerous full HQ deployments as ODF Plans and SOPs were developed. Our deployments included another trip to Hawaii for Tropic Lightning.

In 1987 I was posted to the RAAF Airlift Group HQ at Richmond as SO2 Air Tpt, with a RAAF SQNLDR we managed the operational tasking and coordination of the ADF Long (B707) and Medium (C130) range transport fleet. The highlight of 1988 was deploying to Townsville with six C130’s for a major 3 RAR para drop and then the air land insertion of the remainder of 1 Bde.

In late 1987 I was offered the opportunity of a posting to Malaysia to RAAF Butterworth as OC 65 GL Sect. It was an offer too good to refuse and I served there during the transition from RAAF to RMAF Butterworth and the withdrawal of Mirage, Caribou and Iroquois aircraft to Australia. During my three years in this job I travelled extensively in Malaysia, East Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore coordinating Rifle Coy Butterworth training.

On return to Australia in 1990 I was posted as Ops Offr, 51FNQR (RFSU), Cairns. In Jan 1992 I resigned from the ARA and settled in Townsville where I quickly ended up back on full time service as BM, 11 Bde due 1 RARs deployment to Somalia.

In 1999 Fran and I moved to Brisbane where we live on Moreton Bay at Manly and race our one design Etchell Class yacht out of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. I am a director of Yachting QLD and a National Sailing Judge.

I have continued to serve in the Army Reserve as an LO on the annual Singapore Armed Forces Exercise Wallaby.

Academically I have completed a Graduate Diploma in Law, Bachelor of Professional Studies and Diploma in Fraud Investigation.

Work wise I joined the Commonwealth public service in 1997 working in Centrelink and Veterans’ Affairs. In 2005 I transferred to Immigration and have worked in immigration law enforcement and investigations since. During my time with Immigration I have worked for five months in South Africa, six months in Singapore and travelled to China.

I am currently on a two year secondment from Immigration to the Australian Federal Police.