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Steven Ronald Dudley
28th June 1961
Steven Ronald DUDLEY the first child
born to Barry Ronald and Marilyn Annetta
DUDLEY. He was born 28 June 1961 in
Brisbane. Steven first lived a 22
Brindle Street, Paddington and attended
the
Ithaca Creek State School, as did his
father Barry, commencing school in
January 1967.
In
1970 after the family moved to 160 Payne
Road, The Gap, Brisbane. Steve attended
the Payne Road State School for years 5,
6 and 7. In 1974 Steven commenced high
school and attended The Gap State High
School for a year
finishing his year 8 education. The
following year, 1975 after the family
moved to the Stanthorpe district, Steven
attended Stanthorpe State High School
for years 9 and 10 of his education.
In 1977 Steven was lucky to secure a job
as an apprentice Carpenter with the
Queensland Governments Public Works
department. Steven was assisted in
obtaining this job with the assistance
of his Grandfather Philip Henry DUDLEY.
Steven completed his apprenticeship in
1980 and continued to work for the
Government for a few years, working at
many schools around Brisbane, including
Kenmore State High, Yeronga State High,
Coopers Plains State Primary, Runcorn
State Primary and other locations.
In mid 1982, Steven met his future wife
Sharan. He first met her when he was
living in a flat a 2 Fincastle Street,
Coopers Plains. He was expecting a visit
from a friend and when she arrived,
Steven opened the door and let her in
and then slammed the door. Steven's
friend Dianne said, "what about Sharan"
and Steven said "who the hell is Sharan"?
He opened the door and met Sharan for
the first time. Shortly after Sharan and
Steven started dating. They where
engaged in early 1983 and planned to get
married in 1984. About this time Steven
applied to join the Army.
182782 Warrant Officer Class Two Steven
Ronald DUDLEY enlisted in the Australian
Regular Army on 15th May 1984
and undertook Basic Training at the 1st
Recruit Training Battalion in Wagga
Wagga NSW. Following the completion of
Recruit Training Steven was allocated to
Royal Australian Signals Corps (RASigs)
with the rank of Signalman. In the next
year he completed a Radio Operators'
course and a Basic Drivers' course. In
April 1985 Steven was posted to the 1st
Signal Regiment in Brisbane where he
completed a number of courses in
Advanced Driving and Signals Dispatch.
On Steven's return to Brisbane, he and
Sharan commenced planning for their
marriage. They were married at St.
Andrews Anglican Church at South
Brisbane on 6th July 1985.
The reception was held at the Acacia
Ridge Hotel on Beaudesert Road Acacia
Ridge. Four days after they were
married, Steven was deployed on exercise
with the Army to Central Queensland, so
the couple had no honeymoon. Steven
joked over the years that they good
honeymoon, a least he did, surrounded by
a couple of hundred men, but is not sure
what Sharan did. Sharan Ann McDOWELL is
the 3rd child and 1st
daughter born 19 March 1965 to John
Anthony McDOWELL and Doreen Ann FAY.
Shortly after their marriage, Steven and
Sharan lived at 4 Zinnia Court, in the
Brisbane suburb of Runcorn. In late 1987
Steven and Sharan were delighted to
discover that Sharan was pregnant. After
a complicated pregnancy, during which
Sharan suffered from pregnancy
diabetics, their first child, a
daughter, Rebecca Ann Marilyn DUDLEY,
was born on 21 August 1988 at the
Sunnybank Private Hospital.
In 1988 Steven was promoted to the rank
of Lance Corporal and then to Corporal
in the following year. In 1990 the
family moved to Townsville, Queensland
when Steven was posted to the 103rd
Signal Squadron. In late 1990 Sharan
became pregnant with their 2nd
child and on 2nd July 1991,
their first son Jason Ronald DUDLEY was
born at the Parkhaven private hospital.
Very shortly after the birth of their
son, in mid-July, Steven was deployed
overseas and attached to 210 (24
Airmobile Brigade) Signal Squadron
located in North Yorkshire, United
Kingdom during exercise 'Long Look 91.'
On his return to Australia in November
1991, Steven returned to duty at 103rd
Signal Squadron in Townsville. In early
1992, Sharan fell pregnant with their 3rd
child, Nicholas William DUDLEY born on 5
November 1992.
In late 1992, Steven was advised that he
was to be deployed on Active Service in
early 1993. Steven then arranged for the
family to be relocated to Brisbane so
that they could be close to extended
family whilst he was overseas. In
February 1993 Steven was deployed on
active service with the Force
Communications Unit (FCU), of the United
Nations Transitional Authority in
Cambodia (UNTAC). Whilst in country he
served with Siem Reap Signal Troop
located in Siem Reap (North West
Cambodia). He was employed as the
Transport and Signals Dispatch
Supervisor for Siem Reap Province. For
his service he was awarded the
Australian Active Service Medal and the
United Nations Medal for service in
Cambodia.
On his return to
Australia in October 1993 Steven was
again posted to 1st Signal Regiment
where he was the Transport Corporal for
1st Signal Squadron, Deployable Joint
Force Headquarters.
In August Sharan gave birth to their 4
child a daughter, Lauren Doreen Jane
DUDLEY. Again Sharan had a difficult
pregnancy and the couple lost Lauren's
Twin very early in the pregnancy, it was
just a small blessing that the medical
staff did a complete exam else Lauren
may have been terminated as a result of
this. Sharan and Steven would have named
the twin Isabelle had she survived and
Lauren was later to get a small Belle
Tattoo on her left wrist in memory of
her lost twin.
In 1995 Steven attended a Basic Computer
Controllers course conducted at the
School of Signals in Melbourne,
Victoria. On completion of the course he
was posted to the 21st Construction
Squadron (Royal Australian Engineers) in
Brisbane as the Communications and
Information Systems Corporal.
In 1998 Steven was promoted Sergeant and
posted to the Joint Telecommunications
School located at Cabarlah (20km from
Toowoomba), Queensland as the
Information Systems Sergeant.
In 2001 the then Sergeant Dudley was
posted to the Army School of Signals, in
Melbourne, were he took up a position as
an Information Systems Instructor. On 5
October 2001 Steven was granted a
warrant and appointed to the rank of
Warrant Officer Class Two. Following
this he took up an appointment of Troop
Commander and Training Manager of
Information System training troop at the
Army School of Signals.
In 2002 WO2 Dudley was posted to the 7th
Signal Regiment, Cabarlah Queensland and
took up an appointment as the Manager
Command Support Systems, (Manager
Information Systems).
In Nov 2004, Steven was a foundation
member of the Highfields RSL sub Branch.
For the sub branch's first 2 years
Steven filled the position of Treasurer
and then in 2007 was elected as the sub
branch's 2nd President.
Steven is still serving as sub branch
President in January 2018.
In 2006 he was again posted, within the
local area of Cabarlah, when he accepted
a position as the Manager Information
Systems and Information Technology
Security Advisor at the Defence Force
School of Signals - Electronic Warfare
Wing. At about this time, Army
Regimental Numbers where replaced with a
PMKeys Number, the military's new
personal administration program and the
regimental number of 182782 was replaced
by the PMKeys number of 8240842.
In October 2007 Steven decided to accept
a civilian position as an Information
Technology Officer with the Queensland
Police Service. He therefore took Long
Service Leave from the Army between
October 2007 and July 2008. On 14 Jul
2008 after more then 24 years service in
the Regular Army, WO2 Dudley transferred
to the Active Reserve and took up a
Information Systems Manager position at
7th Signal Regiment.
In 2008 he commenced as an assistant
with the Australian Army Cadets at 13
Army Cadet Unit in Toowoomba. Following
induction, various checks and
administration procedures he was
accepted as a Warrant Officer Class Two
and appointed as an Instructor of Cadets
in August 2009 and took up a staff
position with 13 Army Cadets.
For his service in the Australian
Regular Army WO2 Dudley has received the
following Awards and Medals:
-
the Australia Active Service Award -
Clasp Cambodia;
-
the Defence Long Service Medal - with 3
Clasps;
-
the Defence Service Medal;
-
the Army Combat Badge;
-
the Returned from Active Service Badge;
- the Meritorious Unit Citation; and
-
the United Nations Service Medal - for UNTAC
In 2012 after almost 5 years with the
QLD Police Service, Steven resigned his
position and then took up a position
with the Australian Public Service (APS),
in the Department of Defence. Steven is
currently an APS Level 6 and is the
Communications and Information Systems
Manager, at the Defence Force School of
Signals - Electronic Warfare Wing
located at Borneo Barracks Cabarlah.
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