Introduction
You are now entering Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Webpage. This page will be a dynamic area of interest for all Gunners, who through their relative Associations and the School of Artillery can provide items of interest for all Gunners.
To contact the RRAA Web Manager regarding the content of this site or to submit a contribution or make a suggestion please contact the Staff Officer to Head of Regiment Major D.T. (Terry) Brennan through his email address or the email below.
Royal Regiment Australian Artillery
Head of Regiment
Brigadier Simon (Don) Roach AM
Welcome to the official Royal Australian Artillery website. I assumed the appointment of the Head of Regiment in August 2011, in addition to my main appointment as Deputy Commander 1st Division. I am honoured to fill this appointment for the Royal Regiment. I look forward to working with the Regimental community, full and part time, serving and non-serving, to consider and progress Gunner issues.
As Head of Regiment, I am proud to represent the interests of all ranks of the Royal Australian Artillery. The Royal Regiment is also supported strongly by the Representative Colonel Commandant, Major General Tim Ford, AO, and the Regional Colonel Commandants in each state.
The Royal Australian Artillery continues to provide Army with important capabilities.
Our people are great ambassadors for the Army and overall ADF, and are currently extremely busy with high operational tempo, extra training responsibilities and many changes to capability on 'on our doorstep'.
The RAA website connects our current Gunners with many retired or regional associations, which is important because it is through shared information and the expertise of these associations that we learn from our past.
It is a great honour for me to serve as Head of Regiment for the RAA and I look forward to the continued growth and success of the Royal Regiment and to meeting all in our Gunner fraternity across Australia.>
Head of Regiment Biography
Brigadier Simon (Don) Roach was born on 6 July 1963 in Adelaide, South Australia. He completed his secondary education at Melbourne High School in Victoria in 1981. Known as Don since before joining the Army he entered the Royal Military College in 1982 graduating in 1985 into the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. Immediately upon graduation he completed a year of postgraduate study attaining a Bachelor of Science with Honours. His first Regimental postings included 8/12 Medium Regiment and 16 Field Battery, 6/13 Field Regiment, Launceston.
Following experience as a Staff Officer Operations on Headquarters 6 Brigade in Enoggera he was posted in 1993 as a United Nations Military Observer with the UN Truce Supervision Organisation in the Middle East. Brigadier Roach was posted to 1 Field Regiment, Enoggera from 1994 to 1996 initially as Adjutant, and upon promotion to Major at the end of 1994 he completed his tenure as Battery Commander Headquarter Battery/Operations Officer, and Battery Commander 105 Field Battery. Brigadier Roach returned to the Regiment in 2002 as the Commanding Officer.
At the end of 1999 following a position in Australian Defence Headquarters as Staff Officer to Head Strategic Policy and Plans Brigadier Roach deployed to Headquarters INTERFET, Dili, East Timor. He served as Staff Officer Grade One Plans and on return to Australia in February 2000 he retained the Plans position with Deployable Joint Force Headquarters.
Following Regimental Command Brigadier Roach was posted as the United Kingdom based Australian Army Senior Standardisation Representative to the ABCA Program. He was appointed Commander Land Command Artillery in January 2006 and served only briefly before returning to East Timor in May 2006 as the Deputy Task Force Commander during Operation ASTUTE. Having held the Director Expeditionary Operations at HQ Joint Operations Command between October 2006 and October 2007 Brigadier Roach deployed on Operation SLIPPER as Deputy Chief of Staff Security Sector Reform in Headquarters Regional Command South in Kandahar Afghanistan; an outstanding coalition operational staff appointment.
Brigadier Roach is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, and in addition to his Bachelor of Science (Honours) he has a Masters of Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales. He was appointed as a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2004 for service as Staff Officer Joint Plans Deployable Joint Force Headquarters and Commanding Officer 1 Field Regiment. He assumed the position of Director General Army Operations, on return from the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, in July 2009.
Following his appointment as the Director General Army Operations, Brigadier Roach was appointed the Deputy Commander of Joint Task Force 633 in Kabul, Afghanistan. On return to Australia, he assumed his current role as Deputy Commander Headquarters 1st Division. He assumed his appointment as Head of Regiment on 10 August 2011.
Regimental Master Gunner
Warrant Officer Class One Paul Thomas Washford
Warrant Officer Class One Paul Washford enlisted in the Australia Regular Army on 18th January 1977 and after completion of his recruit course was allocated to the Royal Australian Artillery. After completing his initial employment training at the School of Artillery in Manly he was posted to 4th Field Regiment, Townsville as a gun number.
He gained qualifications as an artillery signaller and operator command post and was subsequently posted to 8th/12th Medium Regiment, Holsworthy in June 1978. He was promoted to lance bombardier on 19th May 1980 and was posted back to 4th Field Regiment on promotion to bombardier on 5th May 1982, where he worked primarily as a forward observer assistant and operator command post bombardier but he did manage a year as a detachment commander on an L5.
In June 1985 he was posted to the School of Artillery of Artillery as an instructor and promoted to sergeant two weeks later. In July 1986 he was sent to Canada to complete his warrant officer gunnery course and returned to the School of Artillery in October 1987. In January 1989 he was posted to 103rd Medium Battery, 8th/12th Medium Regiment as the operator command post sergeant.
On promotion to warrant officer class two in January 1990 he assumed the appointment of Battery Guide A Field Battery. This was followed in January 1992 he by posting to the Royal Military College where he worked in Field Wing for a year before taking up the position of Drill Wing Sergeant Major in 1993.
Warrant Officer Class One Washford was appointed Battery Sergeant Major of A Field Battery in December 1993. In January 1997 he assumed the appointment of Sergeant Major Instructor in Gunnery with 23 Regiment and was subsequently posted to Army Combat Arms Training Centre in January 1999 as the Warrant Officer Class Two Trade Policy for Field Artillery.
In January 2000 he was promoted to warrant officer class one and appointed Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of 2nd/10th Medium Regiment. Subsequently in January 2001 he was appointed the RSM of the School of Artillery, Puckapunyal. On completion of this appointment in January 2004 he moved to Queenscliff to take up the position of Career Manager RAA/AABC/AAPRS at the Soldier Career Management Agency 9SCMA).
In June 2005 he was deployed to Iraq on Operation Catalyst as a Military Adviser to the Iraqi Training Battalion, Kirkush. On return to Australia in January 2006 he was appointed as the Regimental Master Gunner in Combined Arms Training Centre (CATC) on 20th February 2006. In January 2008 he assumed the appointment as RSM SCMA.
In October 2009 he was deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Slipper as an instructor at the Counterinsurgency Training Centre, Kabul. He returned to Australia in April 2010 and resumed his appointment as RSM SCMA and the Career Manager Tier A RSMs.
In January 2011 Warrant Officer Class One Washford assumed, for the second time, the appointment of Regimental Master Gunner at CATC, Puckapunyal.
He is married to Yvonne and has a son Michael. His interests include rugby, and watching his son play sport.
Warrant Officer Class One Washford's awards include the AASM with Clasps Iraq and ICAT; Iraq Campaign Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; DFSM with 3 Clasps; ADM; NATO Medal; US Bronze Star; US Army Commendation Medal; and a Training Commander Commendation.