Scott Atkinson

An active Air Force is a hungry Air Force. Warrant Officer Scott Atkinson has been providing the tasty meals our people need to deliver our best for more than 25 years.

Coming from the North Queensland town of Ingham, surrounded by agriculture, aquaculture and of course sugar cane, it is not surprising that Scott Atkinson had a passion for cooking at school, given his access to some of the nation’s best raw produce, a passion he has developed into his career.

Warrant Officer Atkinson’s father served in the Citizen’s Military Forces (CMF), his grandfather as a Sapper in the Army in World War II, so an interest in an ADF career was a natural progression and sparked his interest in joining the Royal Australian Air Force.

“I had been in the Air Training Corps and my passion for cooking had me decide to combine both into one career in the Air Force,” said Warrant Officer Atkinson.

“I trained at RAAF Base Wagga and since then have served across Australia and overseas on domestic and international operations.

“Wherever our people are, the catering team is there to ensure they are fed and that the food they eat is healthy and nutritious.

“I was fortunate to support the recovery team who extracted a RAAF Caribou in New Guinea, was there to feed the recovery team when we lost the Navy helicopter at Nias after an Indonesian tsunami.

“These are particularly draining activities for our troops and keeping them well-nourished is critical to their ability to continue performing at the highest level under difficult circumstances,” he said.

Today Warrant Officer Atkinson is the Warrant Officer, Catering, at Number 13 Squadron at RAAF Base Darwin.

“Catering has changed significantly since I commenced my career, with real innovation, particularly in the Deployed Catering Capability space,” said Warrant Officer Atkinson.

“Every day we look to consistently improve systems, get better integration and improve the design of the capability for every exercise or deployment.

“Catering to deployed troops is critical to the performance of our future force.

“As we commemorate the formation of the Royal Australian Air Force 100 years ago, I am excited to be a part of the Centenary with the introduction of new aircraft platforms, new technology and the direction of the Air Force,” he said.