Gary Wight Explained

Gary Wight
Birth Date:21 September 1968
Birth Place:Liverpool, New South Wales
Allegiance:Australia
Branch:Royal Australian Navy
Serviceyears:1987–present
Rank:Commander
Commands:Warrant Officer of the Navy
Battles:Operation Okra
Awards:Member of the Order of Australia

Gary William Wight, (born 21 September 1968) is an officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). He joined the RAN as a submariner in 1987 and rose through the ranks to become the 8th Warrant Officer of the Navy in 2016.[1] He relinquished the post in 2019 and was subsequently commissioned as an officer.

Early life

Wight was born in Liverpool, New South Wales, on 21 September 1968. He joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in January 1987, later completing submarine training.

Naval career

As a chief petty officer, Wight served as Chief of the Boat of . He was promoted to warrant officer in 2006 and appointed Ships Warrant Officer of the frigate . In September 2012 he served as Command Warrant Officer of Career Management until he deployed on Operation Okra in June 2015 as the Command Warrant Officer of Joint Task Force 633.[2]

Wight's operational service includes Special Operations Submarines, Operation Manitou and short deployments on Operation Okra and Operation Highroad. He became the 8th Warrant Officer of the Navy in 2016.[3] He relinquished the post to Warrant Officer Deb Butterworth in November 2019, and was subsequently commissioned as an officer.

Wight was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his "exceptional service to the Royal Australian Navy in the field of Navy People leadership and management."[4] He has been also awarded two Fleet Commander's Commendations: first for his service as Communications Capability Staff Officer, Submarine Force ; and second was for service as the ship's warrant officer of .[1] He holds a Master of Business Management from the University of New South Wales, is married, has four children and resides in Canberra.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Official Biography . 1 June 2016.
  2. Web site: Senior first for senior sailor . Australian Navy . 10 August 2015 . 1 June 2016 . Jamieson, Cameron.
  3. Web site: New Warrant Officer of the Navy appointed . Australian Navy . 29 April 2016 . 1 June 2016 . Morley, Dave.
  4. News: 9 June 2019. 'Extraordinary' Australians honoured in annual Queen's Birthday ceremonies. Sydney Morning Herald. 9 June 2019.