Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Graham James Bond (4 October 1945 – 8 April 2016) was an officer in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. He was best known for having discovered and charted a new deep-water shipping channel through the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, the

Hydrographers Passage Hydrographers Passage is a deep-water shipping channel through the Great Barrier Reef, that reduced the previous route by 250 miles. It was discovered by James Bond, commander of the Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the ...

, which was 250 miles shorter than the previous route.

Early life

Graham James Bond was born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia, on 4 October 1945.A character built mapping the reefs.
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', 16 May 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016. He was only ever called Graham by his mother.

Career

Bond was in charge of the survey ship , a

vessel, from 1980. He was responsible for surveying the coasts of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

for the next three years. In 1981, Bond discovered and charted the 60-mile-long

, a new deep-water shipping channel through the

, that reduced the previous route to take coal from the port of

Hay Point Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

to Asian markets by 250 miles. In 1985, Bond received the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

's J P Thomson Foundation Gold Medal, for the discovery of Hydrographers Passage. Bond was promoted to the rank of Commander in 1986, and resigned from the Royal Australian Navy in 1988. In 1993, Bond began working for the

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...

(AMSA), specialising in navigation and ship safety, and international relations. On his retirement from AMSA in 2013, the CEO Mick Kinley said of Bond, "He was a well-liked and respected man who embodied the best of Australian maritime tradition".

Personal life

In 1969, Bond married Linda Baxter, and they had two daughters and a son, Melanie, Sharon, and Jamie. The couple later separated. His children all survived him, as did his later partner, Robin. He was known as "007", was invited to

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film premieres, and was happy to be photographed with strangers who would buy him drinks due to his name. Bond died at his farm in Braidwood on 8 April 2016.

References

1945 births 2016 deaths Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War People from Adelaide Royal Australian Navy officers {{Australia-mil-bio-stub