Grant Biles

I am married and a proud father of three. Born March 1973, in Brewarrina, NSW. I’m the youngest of two. Our family moved to Newcastle when I was young and I spent the majority of my life there. My family has a strong connection with the community through association and leadership positions in both Local Aboriginal Land Councils and Aboriginal Medical Services. After school, I moved to Sydney to undertake an apprenticeship with Qantas Airways as an Aircraft Technician (mechanical). During that time, I met my now-wife and moved back home to Newcastle. Between that time and enlisting, we married and became parents. I did a number of different jobs until, in 2001, at the age of 28, I enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an Aircraft Technician (mechanical).

After trade training, and until my promotion to Flight Sergeant in 2023, I had spent my entire career in the Air Combat Group on F/A-18 Classic Hornets at RAAF Williamtown (Newcastle, NSW) and at RAAF Tindal (Katherine, NT) 2003-20, before moving on to the Joint Strike Fighter 2021-22. I worked for Headquarters Air Mobility Group in 2023 before starting with the Directorate of Organisational Behaviour & Culture – Indigenous Affairs (DOBC-IA) in 2024.

Between 2013 and 2012, I was fortunate to work as an Indigenous student mentor with several schools in the Newcastle area. I was able to tell my story and share my experiences from school to uniform. Currently, in DOBC-IA, we have an amazing team that looks at initiatives around the recruitment, retention, and advancement of our mob, and I’m very excited about what the future holds.

I love what I’ve been able to accomplish in just over my twenty-something years in Defence and hope it inspires someone to test the limits of their own abilities.