From 'The (Newcastle) Herald', Wednesday 6th July 2005:
‘Novocastrian takes the helm
A Novocastrian sailor has accepted one of the highest-ranking roles in the Australian defence force, that of maritime commander of the Royal Australian Navy.
Rear-Admiral David Thomas, a former Jesmond High School student, became Australia’s 61st maritime commander after former chief Rear-Admiral Rowan Moffitt handed over the duties this week at a ceremony in Sydney.
As part of his new role, Rear-Admiral Thomas will be responsible for maintaining the navy’s operational standards and be in charge of the maritime part of any operations in the defence of Australia and its interests.
Rear-Admiral Thomas’s 31-year naval career has included a deployment to the Persian Gulf and work with the US military during the Iran-Iraq conflict.
He was captain of his home city’s namesake vessel, the guided missile frigate HMAS Newcastle, in 2001 and was deputy commander for last year’s Rim of the Pacific 2004 exercise.
Neil Keene’
