Enlisting in the Royal Australian Navy in 1964 as a Boy Seaman, Ron spent twelve months undertaking Year 11 in addition to Naval training at Flinders Naval Depot – AKA HMAS CERBERUS.

He was then posted to HMAS SYDNEY which was readying itself to transport the 1st Battalion RAR, equipment, and supplies to Vietnam. Following a few months in HMAS SYDNEY, he was then posted to HMAS MELBOURNE, our NAVY’s aircraft carrier and Flagship.

Following these two ship-board postings he then undertook the long communications course at F N D and was then posted back to HMAS MELBOURNE as an Able Seaman Signalman.

During his career, he would serve three times in HMAS MELBOURNE.

Ron also served for two years in the destroyer escort HMAS TORRENS. In HMAS TORRENS he was deployed to the US Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for 3 months.

Ron is also a Vietnam Veteran.

In June 1974 he was promoted to Signals Petty Officer.

He completed his service at the Adelaide Port Division – AKA HMAS ENCOUNTER serving as a Reserve Officer following his promotion to Lieutenant RANR in March 1979.

His two decades in the Royal Australian Navy then saw him embark on a sales career which took him to the USA where he lived and worked for many years.

Ron has always maintained a strong interest in History, particularly the history associated with the Royal Australian Navy, and the vital role it played during the First and Second World Wars, and subsequent to then.

He has continuously sought to hone his speaking skills and is now considered a professional keynote speaker, especially on topics that were developed in the USA, where he was called upon to speak many times.

He focuses on but is not limited to delivering addresses applicable to the Second World War in the Pacific, especially the campaigns fought so very close to our shores during 1942 through to 1944.

Ron has also delivered the ANZAC DAY and REMEMBRANCE DAY Address to various organisations across Adelaide.