Lorraine Hatton, OAM
Lorraine Hatton, OAM
Indigenous Ambassador
Lorraine Hatton, OAM (Aunty Lorraine) is formally recognised as an Indigenous Quandamooka Woman, and Elder, born in Brisbane in 1966. The Quandamooka people are an Aboriginal Australian group that live around the Moreton Bay Region in South-eastern Queensland.
At the time of her promotion in 2003, Aunty Lorraine was the first Aboriginal female to be promoted to Warrant Officer in the Australian Army’s history. Her career culminated in yet another first for both Indigenous and Nonindigenous female servicewomen as she was appointed as the Communications Manager to the Australian Army Special Forces Task Group in Afghanistan, in 2006. Aunty Lorraine retired from the Army, in 2007, after a nomadic career that saw her live both widely throughout Australia and abroad, and settled on the Gold Coast, Southeast Queensland.
Aunty Lorraine was appointed as the Indigenous Elder of the Australian Army in May 2020.This significant national appointment, reports directly to the Chief of Army, on a broad range of Indigenous issues and sees her sit on the Army Indigenous Capability Advisory Board.
In August 2020, she was appointed to the Indigenous Advisory Group at the Australian War Memorial.
June 2021, saw Aunty Lorraine invited and appointed as a member of the University of Southern Queensland Council / Board.
She is a mentor with The Preston Campbell Foundation, an initiative developed by Preston Campbell, supporting youth throughout QLD and Northern NSW & The Gold Coast Titans Deadly Futures Program.
Aunty Lorraine is often invited and continues to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in various forums. She was just recently appointed as a Board Member on the Queensland Veterans Council, which reports directly to the Premier.
Aunty Lorraine is also a lifetime member and avid supporter of the Australian National Flag (ANF) Association, this reinforces her service in the Army, pride as an Australian and the fact the Army is the custodian of the ANF.
She is an avid supporter and speaker on behalf of Legacy Qld. She is currently a member of the Brisbane Legacy House, Capital Raising Board and Legacy Centenary Torch Relay, 2023.
She is a voice and advocate for Australia’s First Peoples and First People’s Youth Groups, additionally Aunty Lorraine was appointed Board President / Chair of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dedicated Memorial Committee Incorporated (ATSIDMQI), which in 2022 established Queensland’s Indigenous State Memorial, in Brisbane’s Anzac Square.