By FLGOFF Simon Paton
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Wing
Commander Denis Gardiner
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WITH
a career spanning more than 40 years, Dili service was just another
experience in the tapestry of duty for Wing Commander Denis Gardiner.
WGCDR Gardiner recently completed a tour of East Timor, serving
as the operations’ officer for the Aeromedical Evacuation
team. In other incarnations he has been a pilot and flown more
than 5700 hours in five different aircraft types as well as completing
qualifications to practise medicine.
He graduated in the class of 1967, completing the second last
Vampire course before flying Caribous as a member of No. 35 Squadron
in Vietnam. Seven Caribous served in that theatre and WGCDR Gardiner
spent 12 months there before flying one of the first of three
Caribous to return to Australia in 1971.
Back in Australia as OIC Flight Training (38SQN), he was promoted
to Flight Commander at the Academy.
With the end of the Vietnam War, the demand for pilots tapered
off and WGCDR Gardiner began studies for a Bachelor of Medicine
and a Bachelor of Surgery.
With his first appointment as Senior Medical Officer at Point
Cook, he began a second career within Air Force, later serving
at No. 4 Hospital in Butterworth, Malaysia, and as the CO of No.
3 Hospital at Richmond.
Significantly, WGCDR Gardiner maintained his flying hours and
completed conversions on Macchi, Mirage and later C-130E Hercules
aircraft.
Today he is a Specialist Reservist, continuing to support 3HOSP.
The Australian service people privileged to have shared some time
with WGCDR Gardiner in Dili have some fond recollections of an
extraordinary officer.
