Warrant Officer of the Navy

Warrant Officer of the Navy
WO-N special insignia
Incumbent
Cheryl Collins
since 10 July 2026
AbbreviationWO-N
Reports to
Formation1993
First holderPaul Whittaker

Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N) is the most senior sailor in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It is a singular appointment, being only held by one person at any time. The special insignia for the WO-N is the Australian coat of arms with a wreath around it. The current Warrant Officer of the Navy is Cheryl Collins.[1]

The appointment is the equivalent of the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A) in the Australian Army, and Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF) in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Appointees

No.Portrait NameTook officeLeft officeRef.
1
Paul Whittaker AM
Whittaker, PaulWarrant Officer
Paul Whittaker AM
(born 1949)		December 1993January 1997[2][3]
2
Michael McConnell OAM
McConnell, MichaelWarrant Officer
Michael McConnell OAM
(born 1952)		January 19971999[4]
3
David Wilson AM
Wilson, DavidWarrant Officer
David Wilson AM		199927 September 2002[5][6]
[7]
4
David Turner AM
Turner, DavidWarrant Officer
David Turner AM		27 September 200216 December 2005[5][8]
5
James Levay
Levay, JamesWarrant Officer
James Levay		16 December 200519 December 2008[9]
6
Mark Tandy CSC
Tandy, MarkWarrant Officer
Mark Tandy CSC		19 December 200812 July 2012[10][11]
[12]
7
Martin Holzberger AM, CSC
Holzberger, MartinWarrant Officer
Martin Holzberger AM, CSC
(born 1968)		12 July 201229 April 2016[13][14]
8
Gary Wight AM
Wight, GaryWarrant Officer
Gary Wight AM
(born 1968)		29 April 201622 November 2019[15]
9
Deb Butterworth OAM, CSM & Bar
Butterworth, DebWarrant Officer
Deb Butterworth OAM, CSM & Bar		22 November 201916 December 2022[16]
10
Andrew Bertoncin OAM
Bertoncin, AndrewWarrant Officer
Andrew Bertoncin OAM		16 December 202210 July 2026[17]
11
Cheryl Collins OAM, CSM
Collins, CherylWarrant Officer
Cheryl Collins OAM, CSM		10 July 2026[18]

References

  1. ↑ "2026 change over". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Member of the Order of Australia: Whittaker, Paul John". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 26 January 1997. Retrieved 31 July 2010. Citation: AM. RAN. For exceptional service to the RAN, particularly as the Warrant Officer of the Navy. GAZ S13. AD1997
  3. ↑ "National Medal: Whittaker, Paul John". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 13 May 1982. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "Medal of the Order of Australia: McCONNELL, James Michael". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2012. Citation: For meritorious service in the Royal Australian Navy in the field of communications and as Warrant Officer of the Navy.
  5. 1 2 Irving, Rachel (September 2002). "Navy's new top sailor". Top Stories. Navy: The Sailors' Paper. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "Member of the Order of Australia: WILSON, David Bruce". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 26 January 2002. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  7. ↑ "National Medal: WILSON, David Bruce". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 7 August 1995. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Member of the Order of Australia: TURNER, David". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 13 June 2005. Retrieved 13 June 2011. Citation: For exceptional service to the Royal Australian Navy as Staff Officer Navy Reserve Policy and Warrant Officer of the Navy.
  9. ↑ "New voice for sailors". Top Stories. Navy: The Sailors' Paper. December 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "Conspicuous Service Cross: TANDY, Mark Raymond". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2010. Citation: For outstanding achievement as Warrant Officer of the Navy.
  11. ↑ "WOCIS Mark Tandy – Warrant Officer of the Navy effective 19 December 2008". Official signal R 210200Z OCT 08 from Chief of Navy. Royal Australian Navy Communications Branch Association. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  12. ↑ "New Warrant Officer for Navy". 18 December 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  13. ↑ "Warrant Officer of the Navy - Royal Australian Navy". www.navy.gov.au. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008.
  14. ↑ "Conspicuous Service Cross: HOLZBERGER, Martin Grant". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2013. Citation: For outstanding achievement as the Ship's Warrant Officer, HMAS Warramunga.
  15. ↑ Morley, Dave (29 April 2016). "New Warrant Officer of the Navy appointed". Australian Navy. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "A rewarding career leads to appointment as ninth Warrant Officer of the Navy". Royal Australian Navy. 22 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "Warrant Officer Andrew Bertoncin". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  18. ↑ "2026 change over". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 9 July 2026.


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