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Obituaries
Air Commodore - Ian Russell Gordon AM, RAAF (Retd) (OW1952)
02/07/1934 – 09/04/2020
Air Commodore Ian Russell Gordon AM of Richmond, NSW, passed away in April at the age of 85. A small service was held at RAAF Base Richmond; if not for pandemic restrictions, a full military funeral would have been offered for his outstanding service as one of the most recognised members of the Australian Defence Force. Ian had been posted at Richmond four times over his distinguished career: when RAAF 36 Squadron moved from Fairbairn with the new C-130A Hercules, as a newlywed, as Group Captain and then Officer Commanding RAAF Base Richmond. Significantly, in his earlier role as flight commander there, he was responsible for all operational flying at the squadron, operating throughout Australia and South-East Asia, supporting remote bases and Australia’s involvement in the Malaysian Confrontation and the Vietnam War.
Ian’s life began in Essendon, the son of parents Major General Roy Gordon and Edna (Burrows). He was educated at North Essendon and Essendon State Schools, and Kerang State School and attended Wesley along with his younger brothers Lindsay (OW1956) and Neil (OW1959). Sport, including surfing, speedway and fishing, featured heavily in his life, as did rural family excursions to go mushrooming and rabbit hunting.
Ian entered Wesley in 1946, matriculating in 1952 with Second Class Honours in English Expression and Physics. Active in school life, he was a Prefect, Secretary to the Prefects Committee and Form Captain. He developed a keen love of rowing, which taught him the importance of team spirit and supporting others.
As Captain of Boats he received School Colours for Rowing, for First Crew and as House Captain of Rowing. He also served as Cadet Sergeant, rising to Lieutenant in his final year.
After one year at the University of Melbourne he joined the RAAF College at Point Cook, where he learned to fly in the Tiger Moth, one of the last vintage aircraft used by the RAAF. He graduated with distinction, receiving his wings from the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956. He went on to develop a love of teaching.
His career began after the Korean War, with most of his flying time spent on Dakota and Hercules aircraft. His experiences included operations officer at Maralinga during the British atomic testing, and postings such as RAAF representative at Australia House in London and in Canada. Ian’s final promotion to Air Commodore saw him return to Melbourne at Support Command as Chief of Staff. As Air Attaché in Papua New Guinea with twin roles as Defence Adviser and Head of the Australian Defence Cooperation Group, he was responsible for Australian military personnel and relief assistance in a country prone to natural disasters.
In 1980 he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia medal for that outstanding service. He was Aide-de-Camp to four Governors-General.
In January 1985 Ian took up the posting that was the pinnacle of his career, as Officer Commanding RAAF Base Richmond. Less than a year later he suffered a heart attack that ended his career; he resigned in 1986. He did attend one last event in uniform: the presentation of the Queen’s colours to the Royal Australian Air Force, by Her Majesty in March 1986, an event which he had been organising.
Ian and his family settled in Richmond NSW, where he enjoyed more than 30 years of involvement with community clubs and organisations, including the local branch of Probus. He never lost his passion for travel and his two favourite machines, the E-Type Jaguar and the C-130 Hercules.
Ian passed away peacefully after a long period of illness and leaves behind his wife Anne, children Tina, Michael (OW1988) and Rob, two grandchildren, brothers Lindsay (OW1956) and Neil (OW1959), and nephewws Douglas (OW1982) and Andrew Gordon (OW1986).