Lorraine Hatton OAM
Quandamooka Elder of the Noonuccal and Ngughi tribes in South-East Queensland
Indigenous Elder for the Australian Army
Warrant Officer Class 2
Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Afghanistan veteran and community leader
Medals and Awards
Order of Australia Medal 2019
Australian Active Service Medal – ICAT
Afghanistan Medal
Australian Service Medal with Sinai Clasp
Defence Long Service Medal with 20 year clasp
Australian Defence Medal
Multinational Force & Observers Medal (Sinai)
Unit Citation for Distinguished Service – Afghanistan
Returned from Active Service Badge
Army Combat Badge
Aunty Lorraine enlisted on the 14th January 1986 and discharged after 20 years service in Signals Corps on 17th August 2007. Lorraine was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2019 for her service to the Indigenous Community.
Aunty Lorraine Hatton, OAM, is a Quandamooka Elder of the Noonuccal and Ngughi tribes from South-East Queensland. She enlisted into the Australian Army on 14th January 1986, serving in the Royal Australian Signals Corps. Aunty Lorraine maintained a distinguished and successful career spanning 21 years. Lorraine was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2019 for her service to the Indigenous Community. Lorraine was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2019 for her service to the Indigenous Community.
Some highlights of her career are:
– In 1997, Aunty Lorraine was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and in 1998 she was the first female Signals Sergeant to deploy as the Communications Manager in Irian Jaya, for humanitarian relief operations. Later that same year she was also the first female Signals Sergeant to deploy to the Multinational Force and Observers, Sinai, for a period of 6 months.
– In 2003, Aunty Lorraine was the first identified Indigenous Female in Army’s history, to be promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two. A key posting in this time was being appointed as the Communications Manager at the 5th Aviation Regiment. In 2006, she deployed to Afghanistan as the first female Communications Manager, with the Special Operations Task Group, in Kandahar.
Aunty Lorraine retired from the Australian Army in 2007, however, continues to provide service to the wider community in various
Board and Ambassador roles.
A non-exhaustive list being:
– Qld Veterans Council Member,
– Legacy Cabinet Member, responsible for the establishment of the new Legacy House, next to the Veterans Hospital in Greenslopes Qld,
– Board President of the Queensland State Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dedicated Memorial Committee that constructed the memorial in ANZAC Square Brisbane and unveiled on 27 May 2022,
– Council Member for the University of Southern Qld,
– Indigenous Working Group Member at the Australian War Memorial,
– Indigenous Ambassador for the Corporate Protection Australia Group, a signatory with Prime Ministers Veterans Employment Program.