Robyn Walker recently became the first female in Australian history to attain the rank of Rear Admiral in the Navy and to take on the job of Surgeon General for the Australian Defence Force. Her promotion reflects her long and dedicated service to Defence health, with prior career highlights including leading a $270 million dollar revamp of the ADF’s health capability.
Robyn qualified as a medical practitioner in 1982 and worked in the public health system until 1990. The avid recreational diver joined the Royal Australian Navy as a direct entry medical graduate in 1991 with the intent to continue her career in diving medicine.
In January 1996 Lieutenant Commander Walker assumed the position of Officer in Charge of the Submarine & Underwater Medicine Unit and remained there until her promotion to CMDR in July 2000. On promotion to Captain three years later, she was the Chief Staff Officer Health (J07) at Headquarters Joint Operations Command and responsible for coordinating the health care to Defence Force operations in Iraq, Solomon Islands, East Timor and for the Banda Aceh tsunami response.
She was later promoted to the position of Director General Garrison Health Support within Joint Health Command and then, three years later, to Director General Health Capability.
Commodore Walker was appointed as a member in the Military Division of The Order of Australia on 26 January 2010. She was named as the ACT Telstra White Pages Community and Government Business Woman and overall Telstra ACT Business Woman of the Year in September 2011.
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