Brigadier G.J. Christopherson AM jssc psc D Ed M Bus


air dispatch course at Puckapunyal 1964


Order of Australia ceremony Victoria Barracks Melbourne Australia Day 2008

Author: Geoff Christopherson

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CHRISTOPHERSON Geoffrey John
army officer and teacher 1936-

Born in Brisbane in 1936 Geoff Christopherson was educated at St Columbans College and Marist Brothers College Ashgrove. Joining the ARA in 1955, he graduated from the Royal Military College Duntroon into the Australian Staff Corps in December 1958 and was allotted to RAASC.

Lt Christopherson was posted to 16 National Service Trg Bn Adelaide. At the end of 1959 he was transferred to Brisbane, first as Cadre officer with Northern Command Troops, then OC/CI of N Comd Trade Trg Centre RAASC. In 1960, accompanied by his wife Leonie, he was posted to 55 Coy RASC (Air Dispatch) in Malaya-Singapore, remaining until 1963 when he returned to the RAASC Centre Puckapunyal as Senior Instructor of the Air Dispatch Wing and OC 1 Air Supply Control Section.

In 1965 he was posted for a year to the US for training at the QM School Ft Lee Virginia and the US Army Transportation School at Ft Eustis. Promoted to major on return he became OC HQ 26 Coy RAASC, which was deployed to South Vietnam at the end of 1967 to 1 ATF at Nui Dat: additional dutuies of the OC included command of the Task Force Maintenance Area – the logistic support group for the Task Force.

Major Christopherson returned to Australia at the end of 1969 to command 1 Army Air Supply Organisation at Wallgrove, after which he attended the 1971 course of the Army Command and Staff College at Queenscliff and the Joint Services Staff College in 1977. Then followed a series of staff postings, including Colonel, Movements and Transport at HQ Logistics Command Melbourne 1980-82, and Corps Director 1982-85. He was then promoted brigadier as Director General Movements and Transport Department of Defence 1986-89, receiving an AM for services to Defence transport.

In 1990 he became the first Defence Research Fellow at RMIT University Melbourne, and on retirement from the ADF in 1991 took up appointment as a RMIT lecturer in the Logistics Management Group, also completing a Master of Business and a Doctorate of Education.