Commander Bryan Wilson was born in Melbourne on 17 January ,1939. He entered the Royal Australian Naval College in January 1953, after graduating in 1956, he continued his naval training as midshipman at the Royal Naval College,Dartmouth and HMA Ships FREMANTLE and DIAMANTINA in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant.

In 1960 he qualified as a Destroyer Gunnery Officer, was promoted to Lieutenant and joined the HMAS QUICKMATCH as Gunnery Officer until 1962 when he proceeded to the United Kingdom to undertake a long Gunnery Course at HMS EXCELLENT. The followed two years exchange service in the Royal Navy in HMS CASSANDRA which included operational service in the Far East during the Indonesian / Malaysian confrontation . Commander Wilson spent the later half of 1965 in the USA for further guided missile and gunnery training; then returned to Australia to take up a posting as Gunnery Trials Officer. In 1968 he spent six months in Holland working on a new fire control system project was promoted to Lieutenant Commander at the end of that year.

In 1969 he joined HMAS VENDETTA as Gunnery Officer and from September, 1969 to March 1970 saw operational service when VENDETTA was attached to the US Seventh Fleet for Gunline operations in Vietnam.

In 1971 he attended the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, London This was followed by two years as Deputy Directory of Surface and Air Weapons at Navy Office and one year as Executive Officer HMAS YARRA. He joined the staff of the Fleet Commander in 1975 firstly as the Fleet Gunnery Officer and then,promotion to his current rank in December, 1975, he became head of the Fleet Training Group. Prior to his current posting he served at HMAS CERBERUS Officer- in- Charge of RAN Gunnery School.

Commander Wilson is married to the former Heather Barlow of Melbourne and they have two daughters, Victoria and Mellissa.

R.A. Christie, RAN

LCDR R.A. (Tony) Christie was educated in Wellington, New South Wales and joined the RAN in 1964. After Graduating from the Naval College in 1965 he continued his training at sea as a Midshipman and in England as Sub-Lieutenant.

On return to Australia, he served in HMAS DERWENT as Operations Room Officer before assuming Command of HMAS SAMARIA in Papua New Guinea in 1970.

In 1973 and 1974 he served in as the Navigating Officer of HMAS ANZAC and HMAS DERWENT prior to undertaking training a s a Principal Warfare Officer in England. On Completion he served as ASW and Gunnery Officer in HMAS PERTH.

He served at the Fleet Combat Direction Systems Support Activity, Dam Neck,VA, on exchange duty with the USN from November 1976 until December, 1978 - a period he regards as a highlight of his career naval.

Prior to being posted as Executive Officer of HMAS CANBERRA, he served at the Naval Combat Data Systems Centre in Canberra.

LCDR Christie is married to the former Margret Anne Price of Wellington, New South Wales. They have a son, Jason, and daughter, Tiffanny.