Commander 3rd Brigade
Brigadier J.G. (John) Caligari, DSC, AM
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| BRIG John Caligari, DSC, AM |
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He is from a military family, his father retiring as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion in 1983.
Brigadier Caligari graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in December 1982 as an infantry officer posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment.
His command and operational service includes a tour with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization as a military observer on the Lebanese / Israeli border in 1989/90, and later at the UN Headquarters in Jerusalem (Operation Paladin). He was the Operations Officer of the 1st Battalion Group on its deployment to Somalia in 1993 and for this service on this operation he was awarded a Chief of Defence Force Commendation (Operation Solace). He also deployed as Commander of the 1st Battalion Ready Group on HMAS Manoora for the evacuation of Australians from the Solomon Islands in June 2000 (Operation Plumbob). The highlight of his career was commanding the 1st Battalion Group on operations along the border between Timor Leste and Indonesia for six months from late 2000 with the Peace Keeping Force of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (Operation Tanager). For his leadership of the Battalion Group on this operation he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Since 1 December 2006 he has been Commander 3rd Brigade, the land component of the Australian Defence Force's Ready Deployment Force.
In senior Army staff appointments Brigadier Caligari has been Chief of Staff of Headquarters Training Command in 2005 and 2006, and was the Military Assistant to two successive Chiefs of Army (Lieutenant Generals Cosgrove and Leahy) in 2002. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day 2007 for his service in senior command and staff appointments since commanding the 1st Battalion, in particular as Chief of Staff of Headquarters Training Command.
His academic and professional qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (1982) and a Master of Defence Studies (1998), both from the University of New South Wales (University College); and a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) (2004) from Deakin University. He is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, USA (1995); and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies of the Australian Defence College in Canberra (2004). He has completed the ADF Star Rank Operations Course and the Combined / Joint Force Land Component Commanders Course at Carlisle, USA. He is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has served on the Boards of the Army Credit Union and Frontline Defence Services. In 2006 he completed the Harvard Australia Leadership Program and for most of 1999 he was the Chief of Army's Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University. Brigadier Caligari has had numerous articles published in professional journals and has spoken at a number of national and international level conferences.
Brigadier Caligari is married to Narelle. They have three teenage children: twin sons currently Army officer cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy and daughter in her last year of school. He enjoys walking with Narelle, swimming, watching team sports, playing the stock market, and researching history.
Regimental Sergeant Major 3rd Brigade
Warrant Officer Class One B.F. (Barry) Vandenhurk, OAM
Warrant Officer Class One Barry Vandenhurk was born in Queensland, in 1960. He completed school in Coorparoo, Queensland in 1977 and enlisted in the Regular Army in 1978. He was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and after Corps training was posted to the 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment in Brisbane.
Further postings include promotion from Corporal to Regimental Sergeant Major with 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, five postings to the School of Infantry, then a posting to the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College - Duntroon as an instructor.
Warrant Officer Class One Vandenhurk has also served overseas on Exercise LONGLOOK and spent three years with the Australian Defence Staff in Papua New Guinea instructing on promotion courses and pre-deployment training for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. He has served on two operational tours of Timor Leste, firstly as Operations Warrant Officer, Headquarters Peace Keeping Force and with 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment as the Regimental Sergeant Major.
Warrant Officer Class One Vandenhurk's other Regimental Sergeant Major postings include 11th/28th Battalion Royal Western Australia Regiment and the School of Infantry. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia during the Queens Birthday Honours List in 2005 for his services as Regimental Sergeant Major.
Warrant Officer Class One Vandenhurk is married to Lucy and they have three sons and a daughter aged eleven, nine, seven and five. His interests include sailing, swimming and triathlons.
Deputy Commander 3rd Brigade
Lieutenant Colonel R.C. (Bob) Hamilton
Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was born in Cooma 8 Sep 1965 and completed school at Nyngan in western NSW. He enlisted in the Army 22 Jan 1984 and attended the RMC and ADFA graduating in December 1988 with a BA (English). Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton's initial posting was as a Platoon Commander, Delta Company, 5/7 RAR followed by appointment as a Platoon Commander with Depot Company, RAR. Whilst at Depot Coy Lieutenant Colonel HAMILTON completed the pilot Commando Selection Course and was subsequently promoted to Captain and posted as the Senior Instructor Water Operations, 1st Commando Regiment (the Army Dive School). During his time with the 1st Commando Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton deployed on EX Long Look as 2nd in command ZULU Coy, 45 Commando, Royal Marines (RM), and completed the Amphibious Warfare Planning Course at RM Poole.
On return to Australia he was panelled to attend the Republic Fiji Military Force Grade 2 Staff Course, in Suva. Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton's subsequent postings as a Captain include; Mortar Platoon Commander, 2/4 RAR and SO3 Operations, HQ 3 Bde.
In January 1997 he was promoted to Major and appointed as Officer Commanding Bravo Company, 2 RAR where he was fortunate to command the Company in Hawaii on EX GOLD EAGLE 1999 with the USMC, and as an element of the 2 RAR Battle Group during OP WARDEN. For service during OP WARDEN Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service.
On return from East Timor Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton attended Army Command and Staff College, Queenscliff and completed a Masters of Defence Studies. He was subsequently appointed SO2 Dismounted Combat, Force Development Group LWDC, and received a Training Commander's Commendation for his coordination of Urban Operations Development.
Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in Jan 2003 and appointed SO1 Joint Plans, Operations Branch, LHQ. In this appointment he was the lead Land Component planner for a wide range of domestic and offshore operations including; OP FALCONER, the Rugby World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the SUDAN, OP TSUMATRA ASSIST, the AMTG, and OP SLIPPER. He also developed the Land Commander's Concept for Domestic Security Operations.
In Jan 2006 Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton was posted as Chief of Staff HQ 3 Bde and almost immediately appointed CO AATT Iraq - 6 where he commanded the three Army training sites and provided the J7 function to HQ JTF 633. Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton returned from Iraq in Dec 2006 and was redesignated the Acting Deputy Commander, 3 Bde.
Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton lives in Annandale and is married to Louise. He has two sons Callum (5) and Rowan (2) and a baby daughter, Lucy (3 months). He enjoys running, swimming, golf, hairy goose chases and collecting snow scenes.