Born on 3 September 1938 in Mosman NSW, George Salmon was educated at Fort St Opportunity School, North Sydney Boys High School; the Royal Military College, Duntroon; The University of Sydney; the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, UK; and the University of New England.
George joined the 4th Class of the Corps of Staff Cadets at Duntroon and became a member of Kapyong Company in early 1956. In December 1959 he was commissioned from Duntroon and allocated to the Royal Australian Artillery. He attended Sydney University in 1960-61, gaining the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical). From 1961 to 1965 he served in 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery at Wacol, Queensland. In 1965 and 1966 he attended a Gunnery Staff Course at the School of Artillery, Larkhill, UK and served as an instructor at the Royal Artillery Gunnery Training Establishment, British Army of the Rhine. He then returned to Australia as an instructor at the School of Artillery, Manly, NSW.
In August 1969 he became Battery Commander, 107th Field Battery, 4th Field Regiment in Townsville and served in this appointment in South Vietnam in 1970.
In late 1970 on return from Vietnam to Townsville, he served briefly as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General of 3rd Task Force/North Queensland Area.
He attended a Guided Weapons Systems Course at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, UK in 1971, gaining the degree of Master of Science. In 1972 he served in the Rapier Project Management Office in the UK Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive), returning to Australia as the Australian Rapier Project Manager in Materiel Branch, Department of Defence (Army Office) later that year.
After attendance at the Australian Army Staff College, Queenscliff in 1974, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and occupied appointments of Staff Officer Grade 1 in Armaments, and then Guns and Guided Weapons in Materiel Branch, Department of Defence (Army Office), from 1975 to 1977.
He commanded the School of Artillery, Manly, NSW in 1978 – 80, attended the Australian Joint Services Staff College in 1981 and in July 1981 was promoted to Colonel as Director of Logistic Plans, Department of Defence (Army Office).
In 1983 and 1984, he served on exchange as a Member of the Ordnance Board, UK Ministry of Defence in London.
In 1985 he was promoted to Brigadier and appointed Commander, Army Engineering Development Establishment, Maribyrnong, Victoria. He was appointed Director General of Materiel-Army in October 1987, occupying this position until he retired from the Army on 2 September 1993.
For services to Army materiel procurement, in 1990 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and in August 1993 he was awarded a Chief of the General Staff’s Commendation.
After retiring from the Army, he worked as a part-time Defence Consultant, principally to Martin Marietta Defence Systems, Lockheed Martin Defence Systems and L-3 Communications Systems, from 1995 to 2002.
From March 1996 to November 2000, he was the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Colonel Commandant Eastern Region and Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery (National) Representative Colonel Commandant. |
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George was passionately involved with Legacy and had been a member of The Legacy Club of Canberra since 1991. He was involved in many aspects of Legacy. He was the Club President in 1998-99, and its Treasurer or Chairman of its Finance Committee for 23 years. George spent 25 years of his 31 years with Legacy on the Club’s Board of Management. He also served on the Board of Legacy Australia and was responsible for writing an operations guide for the Welfare role of Canberra Legacy.
He and his wife Tess, who died in 2018, had four children, Paul, Andrew, Mark and Therese. Mark was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1987 at 18 years of age. His interests include golf, bushwalking and gardening. He and Tess, accompanied on many occasions by their children, walked extensively in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
George Thomas Salmon died at 2315 hours on 6 January 2023. He was 84. George had some medical setbacks following heart surgery in mid-December. He died peacefully in no pain after seeing all his grandchildren and with family present. Not long before his death he said to the children,
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