Commander Michael Doncaster has had a long and illustrious career in the Royal Australian Navy and he will be joining Moree for the town's Anzac Day commemoration.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Originally from Geraldton, Western Australia, he joined the Navy in August, 1980 and regularly received promotions through the sailor ranks before making Lieutenant in 2007.
He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in January, 2010 and then Commander in July, 2018, being posted on HMA Ships all over the country as well as posts in Cambodia, Malaysia and the Australian Embassy Rome.
He currently serves as the Deputy Director Five Eyes and Global in Navy International Engagement, overseeing a team responsible for the Navy's critical relationships with the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and all countries outside the Asia Pacific region.
He was awarded a Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM) in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours list for meritorious achievement during his tenure at the Navy International Engagement between 2008 and 2010 and now resides in Canberra with his wife Sandra O'Keefe.
Mr Doncaster will lead the march at the Dawn Service, deliver an oration at the Main Commemoration and will also be speaking at the Moree Community Library and Fairview Retirement Village.
"I'm really looking forward to that, that we've got that opportunity to talk and talk about the defence force," Mr Doncaster said.
"We'll talk more about the Gallipoli tradition and what it means to be part of the Australian defence force.
"Me personally, I'll be talking about the Australian Navy, what our people are doing. Paying tribute to the people before us and what they're doing today.
"Hopefully what people see in me is a bit of a representation of the Navy."
It will be Mr Doncaster's first visit to Moree and he will also do a trip out to Bourke and Lightning Ridge to see more of a region in which he hasn't visited before.
READ ALSO:
He is looking forward to the opportunity and is honour to be a part of the town's commemoration.
"We're trying to demonstrate to the local people of the community that we're proud of what we do," he said.
"We're proud of our service and they should be proud of the young men and women who give up their jobs."
Mr Doncaster is also excited to visit the region, given where he's from and his family ties to farming.
He knows the region is experiencing a tough drought and he's keen to help out as much as he can.
"I'm acutely aware of people doing it tough in the west," he said.
"It's another motivation for me and my wife coming out and being part of this, being part of the boom and bust period.
"We're very keen to come out and see how people are coping and talk to people.
"We're very interested to get out and just see how people are doing, try and put my one or two dollars into someone's pockets to try and make life easier."
The Anzac Day dawn service will be at 6am at the Moree and District Services Club before the Wales Memorial Service at 9am Wales Memorial Park which honours Long Tan solider, Max Wales.
The main ceremony will begin at 9.30am with the parade beginning in Balo St between the Albert St roundabout and Woolworths before the service at Memorial Hall at 10am.
