Warrant Officer Andrew Bertoncin

Andrew “Bert” Bertoncin joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1988 as a Radio Operator. On completion of his training at HMAS Cerberus, he served in his first fleet unit HMAS Swan.

During his years as a junior sailor, he experienced service in the mine warfare community in HMAS Tarakan and Bunbury and ashore in key strategic communications centres. On promotion to senior sailor he had two postings in HMAS Arunta. He received the Peter Mitchell prize as the most outstanding senior sailor of the year in 2005.

Promotion to Warrant Officer in 2007 led to a wide range of Communication and Information Systems manager roles including being deployed in the Force Communication Unit in the Middle East as part of Operation Slipper. He served as Command Warrant Officer in HMAS Sirius, HMAS Stirling and in the Mine Warfare, Clearance Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological, Oceanographic and Patrol Force. He also conducted the responsibilities as the WA Alcohol and Drug Program Coordinator where he achieved a diploma in Alcohol and Drug counselling.

Warrant Officer Bertoncin was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2016 Queens Birthday Honour’s List for his service to the communications category and as the Command Warrant Officer of Sirius.

In February 2021 he was appointed as Command Warrant Officer Fleet Command. In December 2022 he was appointed as the Royal Australian Navy’s tenth Warrant Officer of the Navy.