Ray Rosendale CSM

I was born in Nambour, Queensland in 1965. I am a Kuku Yalanji man of the Western Sunset Clan, whose traditional lands are situated north-west of Cairns in Far North Queensland. I worked throughout Queensland as a stockman, apprentice mechanic and Federal Public Servant before joining the Navy in 1991.

Initially joining as a Quartermaster Gunner before transferring to Fire Fighter in 1994 and then to Naval Police Coxswain in 1996, I have served in Her Majesty’s Australian Ships (HMAS) Canberra, Whyalla, Shepparton, Ipswich, Tarakan, Darwin, Leeuwin and Melville as onboard Hydrographic Survey Crew Red.

I have also served as the Senior Naval Police Coxswain in HMAS Watson and Cairns and was the Navy instructor at the Service Police School at Holsworthy NSW in 2007. In 2009 I was posted to Defence Indigenous Affairs as the Indigenous Community Engagement Officer for Northern Australia as well as an advisor and mentor for the Defence Indigenous Development Program, which assists disadvantaged youth from Indigenous communities to prepare for a career in the Australian Defence Force.

In January 2013, I was appointed by then Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Griggs to the position of the Navy Strategic Advisor on Indigenous Cultural Affairs. This appointment was the first opportunity for an Indigenous serving member to hold a permanent position directly related to Indigenous affairs within the Australian Defence Force. I retired in 2017 after 27 years of service. I am currently the Australian Indigenous Program Manager for Movember, a charity which raises awareness of men’s physical health including their social and emotional well-being.

I have been married to Anna for over 30 years and we have two beautiful adult children together, I am a self-confessed Rugby tragic with a love of adventure, crime and science fiction novels.