HOC Biographies

Warrant Officer Class One Justin Cocking was born in Melbourne, Victoria on 09 January 1970. He enlisted in the Regular Army on 25 February 1987 and was allocated to the Royal Australian Corps of Transport.

Since enlistment Warrant Officer Cocking has filled positions in a variety of units.  These have included the 1st Transport Squadron, 1st Recruit Training Battalion Transport Platoon, 85th Transport Troop and Army Logistic Training Centre, Transport Wing as an instructor.

Warrant Officer Cocking has been employed as a Sergeant Instructor at Army Logistic Training Centre, Transport Wing, Troop Sergeant of 85th Transport Troop, and instructor at the Royal Military College – Duntroon.

His postings as a Warrant Officer Class Two have included Training Warrant Officer at 9th Combat Service Support Battalion, Wing Sergeant Major of Road Transport Wing and Career Manager at the Soldier Career Management Agency for the Royal Australian Corps of Transport.

Warrant Officer Cocking deployed to Afghanistan on Operation SLIPPER in 2010 – 2011 and worked in NATO Divisional Headquarters in the Combined Joint Logistic Operations Branch, Kandahar.

In 2012, Warrant Officer Cocking was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and posted to the 11th Combat Service Support Battalion on appointment as the Regimental Sergeant Major. In 2015 he assumed his second appointment as a Warrant Officer Class One as the Regimental Sergeant Major of 9th Force Support Battalion.

Warrant Officer Cocking assumed his current appointment as Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army School of Transport and the Royal Australian Corps of Transport in January 2017.

Warrant Officer Cocking is married to Lea–Ann and has three children, Charlie, Billy and Kyla. He is an avid watcher of Australian Rules Football and a supporter of the Hawthorn Football Club. Other interests include reading, salt water fishing and hunting.  

Brigadier Cameron Purdey was born in Geelong on 10th September 1968. He enlisted in the Australian Army in 1988, graduated from the Royal Military College in 1989 and was allocated to the Royal Australian Corps of Transport. Corps related postings include Troop Command Transport Platoon, Bandiana Logistics Group; Second in Command 86th Transport Troop, 26th Transport Squadron; Troop Command Transport Platoon, Northwest Mobile Force; Staff Officer Grade Three Operations, Army School of Transport; Officer Commanding 30/35 Water Transport and Terminal Squadron, 10th Force Support Battalion and Career Advisor - Royal Australian Corps of Transport/Australian Army Catering Corps.

He has served in a wide variety of other staff appointments including Regional Fleet Manager Puckapunyal Logistics Battalion; Staff Officer Grade Three Operations, 3rd Brigade Administrative Support Battalion; Staff Officer Grade One Doctrine and Staff Officer Grade One Combat Service Support, Land Warfare Development Centre and Staff Officer Grade One Logistic Plans (Domestic/Exercises) at Headquarters Joint Operations Command.

During his tenure as the Officer Commanding 30/35 Water Transport and Terminal Squadron, he deployed his Squadron on operational service as part of the 10th Force Support Battalion commitment to INTERFET, with responsibility for port operations at Dili and distribution to INTERFET elements across the theatre. 10th Force Support Battalion was subsequently awarded a Meritorious Unit Citation for its efforts in East Timor.

Brigadier Purdey was posted as the Commanding Officer 10th Force Support Battalion in January 2007. He was fortunate to deploy to the Middle East as the Commanding Officer of the third rotation of the Force Level Logistic Asset from Aug 2007 - Feb 2008, the joint 150 person contingent providing logistic support to all deployed Australian force elements in the Middle East Area of Operations. For his services as Commanding Officer he was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the 2010 Australia Day Honours List.

On promotion to Colonel he served an appointment as the Colonel Logistics (G4) at Headquarters Forces Command, as well as a short period as the Director Senior Officer Management. In March 2014 he was promoted and posted as the Director General Land Manoeuvre Systems, Defence Materiel Organisation and commenced his current role within Army Headquarters as the Director General Logistics in January 2016.

Brigadier Purdey is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College (2001) and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies (2013). He holds a Bachelor of Arts (History and Strategic Studies), a Master of Arts (Strategic Studies) and a Masters in Management and Defence Studies. Married to Virginia and with two teenage children, his interests include supporting Geelong Football Club and playing the guitar.

On 27th January 2016 Brigadier Purdey was appointed as the Head of Corps of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport.

Lieutenant Colonel McClellan commissioned into the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1995. After completing the RLC Troop Commanders’ Course she was posted to her initial regimental appointment as a Troop Commander within 1 Transport Squadron, 10 Transport Regiment in Colchester, UK. Lieutenant Colonel McClellan transferred from the British Army to the Australian Army in 2012, joining the Royal Australian Corps of Transport.

Lieutenant Colonel McClellan has enjoyed a broad regimental experience serving in transport, supply and port and maritime environments. The pinnacle of her time at regimental duty was as OC 31 Close Support Squadron, where her command included successfully re-roling and deploying her squadron of over 200 personnel on operations in Iraq. She has also had the privilege of commanding officer cadets as a Platoon Commander/Instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, teaching leadership and tactics. As the Senior Instructor for the RLC Troop Commanders’ Course at the Defence Logistics School she was responsible for inducting officers into the Corps during the escalation of operations in Afghanistan.

Staff appointments include the lead logistic planner in HQ 3 (UK) Div and the lead logistic planner within the Multi National Division in Iraq in 2008. She also spent two years managing operational based sustainment issues in Northern Ireland and three years within HQ Forces Command supporting the logistic implementation of Plan Beersheba. Not assigned solely to logistics, she has developed her personnel and human resources skills as the Corps Recruiting and Liaison Officer, where she managed the recruiting effort for the largest Corps in the British Army. Lieutenant Colonel McClellan’s most recent staff role was as the SO1 Land Mobility Systems within the Modernisation Branch at Army Headquarters, where she was responsible for the capability development of the medium and heavy vehicle fleets including the Introduction Into Service of LAND 121 Phase 3B. 

Lieutenant Colonel McClellan has seen operational service in Bosnia, deployed on Op LODESTAR as part of the Stabilisation Force; supported the NATO Extraction Force in Greece / Kosovo; Northern Ireland deployed for two years during Op BANNER and two tours of Iraq.  She deployed to Iraq on Op TELIC 6 as OC General Support Squadron at Shaiba Logistics Base, where she was responsible for successfully enhancing the inventory management practices to ensure operational success. Her most recent deployment was in 2008 as the lead logistic planner within the Force Support Branch, MND(SE) in Basrah. This was a testing period in the region, working closely with the US Forces and increasing the Iraqi Security Force integration into logistic convoy operations.

Lieutenant Colonel McClellan is a graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, UK and achieved a Chartered Management Institute Postgraduate Diploma and Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership in 2012.  She was awarded a Certificate of Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector, and an ILM Level 3 in Coaching and Mentoring in 2008. Lieutenant Colonel McClellan is currently studying for a Masters in Strategy and Management through UNSW.

Lieutenant Colonel McClellan has been married to Major Paul McClellan, also RACT, for twenty years and they have no children, however they do have a variety of recreational ‘toys’ and vehicles to occupy their spare time and assist with their exploration of the great Australian outdoors. Her interests include running, cycling, swimming, paddleboarding, wakeboarding and riding her motorcyle.  She is also a very keen, but amateur surfer, and a keen, but more mature, triathlete.