John Grey (Australian general)

Summary

Lieutenant General John Cedric Grey AC (born 31 January 1939) was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1992 to 1995. He was Chancellor of James Cook University from 1999 to 2016.[1]

John Cedric Grey
Born (1939-01-31) 31 January 1939 (age 85)
Sydney, New South Wales
AllegianceAustralia
Service/branchAustralian Army
Years of service1957–1995
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldChief of the General Staff (1992–95)
Deputy Chief of the General Staff (1991–92)
Australian Command and Staff College (1986–88)
1st Armoured Regiment (1978–79)
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of Australia
Commendation for Distinguished Service
Other workChancellor of James Cook University

Early life edit

Grey was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 31 January 1939 to Aubrey Cedric and Dacia Downing Grey. He was educated at St Andrew's Cathedral School and Sydney Grammar School, before entering the Royal Military College, Duntroon as an officer cadet in 1957.[2][3]

Military career edit

Grey was posted to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment and, as a captain,[4] was deployed to Vietnam for which he was belatedly awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service.[5][6][7] By 1984 he had been promoted to colonel and made Director of Co-ordination at the Department of Defence.[8]

He became Assistant Chief of Defence Force, Logistics and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1991 for service in that role.[9]

He was appointed Chief of the General Staff in 1992[3] and made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1995 for outstanding leadership, inspiration and dedication to the Australian Army during a period of profound restructuring.[10]

Retirement edit

In retirement he established his own consultancy business based in Cairns; he also became a Non-Executive Director of Tarong Energy and Chancellor of James Cook University.[3] In 2003 he was appointed Chairman of Queensland's Wet Tropics Management Authority Board.[11]

Honours, awards and qualifications edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "JT opens John Grey Hall at JCU". www.jcu.edu.au. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Lieutenant General John Cedric Grey". Who's Who in Australia Online. Connect Web. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Board of Directors Archived 7 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Tarong Energy Annual Report 1998/99, pg.8, www.tarongenergy.com.au
  4. ^ Janine Hiddlestone (2002) Voices from the Battlefield: Personal Narratives as an Historical Tool in Studying the Place of the Vietnam War in Australian Society, www.api-network.com. Originally published in Richard Nile (ed.) The Dog of War, Journal of Australian Studies, no 73, pp.57–65, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.
  5. ^ 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment – Badges and Insignia, Australian Armour, www.australian-armour.com
  6. ^ John Cedric GREY, Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans, www.vietnamroll.gov.au
  7. ^ a b Commendation for Distinguished Service, 3 June 1998, It's an Honour
  8. ^ Management of the Main Battle Tank by the Department of Defence Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Expenditure, May 1984, www.aph.gov.au
  9. ^ a b Officer of the Order of Australia, 26 January 1991, It's an Honour
  10. ^ a b Companion of the Order of Australia, 12 June 1995, It's an Honour
  11. ^ New Wet Tropics Chair and board member announced Archived 1 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Media Release, 13 May 2003, Wet Tropics Management Authority Board
Military offices
Preceded by
Lieutenant General John Coates
Chief of the General Staff
1992–1995
Succeeded by
Lieutenant General John Sanderson
Preceded by
Major General Michael Jeffery
Deputy Chief of the General Staff
1991–1992
Succeeded by
Major General Arthur Fittock