Anytime the military need to move stuff anywhere, people like Squadron Leader Lauren Bishop make it happen.
As a Senior Movements Officer, Squadron Leader Bishop delivers people and freight across Australia and around the world wherever they are needed.
Her nearly 20 year career has taken Squadron Leader Bishop everywhere from Antarctica to Afghanistan, allowing her to witness the evolution of logistics operations firsthand.
Before she was Squadron Leader Bishop, she started her first job as an apprentice chef at a “fine-dining” restaurant in Brisbane.
Her love of cooking led her to join the Australian Defence Force as a cook, with a view to saving enough money to continue her cooking training in Italy.
Twenty years later Squadron Leader Bishop is now the Royal Australian Air Force’s Senior Movements Officer at Headquarters Number 96 Wing, RAAF Base Amberley.
“My team and I are responsible for ensuring safe delivery of the air movements and aviation refuelling capability for Air Force,” Squadron Leader Bishop said.
“Within Number 96 Wing we have a workforce of approximately 330 people who are working hard to prepare cargo for load and unload operations and to refuel aircraft across the globe.
“Like our aircraft I have had the opportunity to travel extensively, with one highlight being a deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Southern Discovery.
“I worked and lived in Antarctica as the Casey Station Logistics Officer during the 2017-18 summer.”
Squadron Leader Bishop was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross for her logistics support to the Air Force’s Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations.
In her spare time she is a keen hiker.
“Last winter my daughter and I completed the Overland Track in Tasmania and we have also done some hiking in the Canary Islands,” Squadron Leader Bishop said.
Planning is underway for the commemoration of the Royal Australian Air Force’s formation in March 1921.
For more information, go to www.airforce.gov.au/100
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