Alumni Profiles

Douglas James WEBB

• Graduated :

  1973

Description

Doug was born in Casino NSW on 20 Mar 54. He was raised and educated at Kyogle, Northern NSW and he was School Captain in 1972. He joined the Australian Army at 18 years of age on 11 Jan 73 and attended the Officer Cadet School Portsea in Victoria. On Graduation he was allocated to the newly formed Royal Australian Corps of Transport and was posted to 176 Air Dispatch Squadron in Sydney West.

He had a diverse range of appointments in the rank of Captain that included a regimental posting to 26 Transport Squadron, a Detachment as an Army Careers Lecturer in WA, as Aide de Camp in Melbourne, staff officer posting to Headquarters 3rd Brigade as well as instructor and adjutant at the Army School of Transport. These appointments took him to Puckapunyal (twice), Townsville and Western Australia.

In 1986 he was selected for attendance at the Royal Military College of Science, Schrivenham in the United Kingdom. At the completion of the course he returned to Canberra on promotion to Major, were he took up the position of Assistant Project Director, Project PERENTIE, which was Army’s project to replace the Land Rover fleet. In 1990 he attended Command and Staff College at Queenscliff, Victoria. A posting followed this to Headquarters 6th Brigade in Brisbane as to Staff Officer Grade 2, Personnel and Logistics.

In 1993 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed the Commanding Officer, 9th Transport Regiment for two years. Following attendance at the Joint Services Staff College in 1995, he held a number of staff positions in Canberra.

In January 2000 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed the Director of Materiel Policy in Army Headquarters. During this tenure he was detached to the Solomon Islands as the Commander, Australian Service Contingent, OP TREK and then later to East Timor as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Support on the HQ Peace Keeping Force for the UNTAET Mission. On return from East Timor Doug was posted as the Director Land Support Development in Capability Systems Division in Canberra.

Doug’s last posting was as the Regional Manager, Corporate Support and Infrastructure in Perth, WA (later became Defence Support WA).  In this position he was also appointed the Army Area Representative for WA.  With his position being civilianised, he retired from the Regular Army in January 2008 after four and a half years in the position.  He was the last Regular Officer to hold a senior Army appointment in WA.

During his career, Doug has had a number of overseas visits for work related issues and exercises which include the UK, Germany, Hawaii, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia. He saw operational service in 2001 in the Solomon Islands and again in East Timor in 2002.  For his service he has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with East Timor Clasp, the Australian Service Medal with Solomon Islands Clasp, the Defence Force Service Medal with four Clasps, the Australian Defence Medal and the UNTAET Medal.

Doug was married to Margaret for 25 years before losing her in 2007 to cancer. He has two adult stepdaughters, Kylie who is married and living in the UK and Renae who is living in Perth. Kylie has provided two beautiful granddaughters.

On retirement from the Regular Army, Doug was appointed Colonel Commandant for the Royal Australian Corps of Transport in WA.  Apart from the duties involved with that appointment, he has done some Reserve Project work for Army Headquarters and a small amount of consultancy work.  He is enjoying retirement and spending time with his partner, Rhonda.

His hobbies include golf, gardening, home brewing, fishing and keeping the 1972 Falcon alive.