THIRTY years ago Dimitri Dufour could not have imagined that joining the RAAF on a whim with a mate would one day lead to him receiving one of Australia's top honours.
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But in the June Queen's honours list, the Warrant Officer of Williamtown's No. 3 Squadron received a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for exceptional service to the RAAF.
"It's very rare a Warrant Officer gets an AM," Warrant Officer Dufour said.
The RAAF nominated the father of three from Corlette for the AM after he spent three years in the United States leading the F/A-18 Hornet upgrade project.
His leadership of No. 3 Squadron, which he had been involved with "on and off" for 18 years, was also recognised.
"Warrant Officer Dufour's exceptional leadership, outstanding professionalism and technical mastery have directly enhanced Air Combat Group's F/A-18 Hornet capability in support of force generation, domestic operations and overseas exercises," the RAAF's nomination stated.
"His outstanding achievements over 20 years have delivered significant capability enhancements to the F/A-18 fleet, and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Royal Australian Air Force."
Warrant Officer Dufour was one of 12 across the Australian Defence Force who received an AM in this year's honours list.
It is a long way from when he joined the RAAF as an Adelaide boy in 1985.
