He again joined the part time Army (then known as the Army Reserve) in 1982. Having served for eight months as a Navy Lieutenant, he transferred as an Army Reserve Captain into the Royal Australian Engineers and served almost his entire career with 6 Engineer Group and 22 Construction Regiment. Since enlistment in 1982 McAuley has never fully qualified for the rank of Captain. His service over 25 years was often broken and there are large periods of inactivity. In the early part of his career, he was in the Supplementary Reserve and only required to offer two weeks service each year. He was absent in some years and did not give continuous service.

 

McAuley is conscious of his niche` in society and likes to flog his Navy and Military affiliations.  Until recent times McAuley was a member of the prestigious Royal Society of Victoria where he had been registered as  Capt. W.J.W. McAuley, BSc, MScp, KCT(Scot), KCSt.J, RFD, JP, FRGS, FAIE.  As you will read, McAuley has no entitlement to the rank of Captain (retired) and no entitlement to the post nominals of RFD and JP.  KCT(Scot) and KCSt.J are pseudo self endowed Knighthoods of dubious quality.

 

 

What is our “beef” with McAuley? 

 

 McAuley insists on being addressed as "Captain", but does not put (Retired) after his name in correspondence. He talks about his naval career, thus giving people the impression he is a navy captain rather than an army captain. His lawyer recently sent a letter to the Royal Society of Victoria demanding that he be called Captain. As proof of his entitlement to be so addressed, the lawyer attached a letter which, according to the lawyer, came from the "Chief of Army, General Kim Isaacs". In fact it was from Ms Kim Isaacs, Chief of Staff of Warren Snowden, Minister for Defence. We believe that this was a deliberate attempt at fraud, rather than a silly mistake.

 

Only Army Officers of the Rank of substantive Major and above are allowed to retain their rank as a title following the cessation of their commission.  No Politician, Politicians Chief of Staff or Army General has the authority to change that regulation.  It is also a fact that McAuley did not complete his qualifications for the Army rank of Captain and therefore his substantive rank was Lieutenant and in no way entitled to use the title of “Captain” after retirement.  

 

The Army finally got thoroughly sick of McAuley and terminated his commission.  At the time of proceeding with his dismissal McAuley attempted to coerce his superior officers into promoting him to Major on the basis that if that happened “he would go quietly” Military authorities treated this demand with contempt.

 

McAuley is an “Old boy” of Scotch College in Melbourne. In the Scotch College Newsletter of December 1997 McAuley’s service was listed as follows:

 

“Lieutenant Bill McAuley joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1970. He was commissioned on the General List in Executive Branch and served in Her Majesty's Australian ships Vampire, Adroit and Supply. While with HMAS Supply, he took part in the Australian Bicentennial celebrations in the United States before his resignation in late 1978. He currently serves in the Australian Army Reserve as a captain in the Royal Australian Engineers. He installed the Royal Australian Navy Ensign he presented to Scotch.”

 

This report can be read in full here:   http://www.scotch.vic.edu.au/Gscot/GSdec97/P16Rem.htm 

 

McAuley did not serve for eight years as reported he served for a less than auspicious, eight months, until he resigned his RAN commission. McAuley is also lying about serving as crew on the fighting ships HMAS Vampire and HMAS Adroit; in fact he was never listed as “crew” on any Navy ship at any time.

 

Here is detail of his full Navy service

 

 

 

The only “at sea” posting he had, was aboard HMAS Supply “Under Training” from 4 Jun 1976 to 9 Aug 1976. His other postings during his eight month career were, HMAS PENGUIN, HMAS WATSON AND HMAS CERBERUS these are all shore postings. Note that whilst he was on HMAS Supply he was listed as “Under Training”.  Speaking of training McAuley failed the two courses relevant to his Navy employment. Here are his course results

 

 

Note that McAuley failed a Junior Officer’s Administration Course and an Instructor Officer Course. Considering his occupation at the time it is pleasing to note he passed “Swimming” and a couple of other “impossible to fail” courses.

 

McAuley also “pulled” the Jordan manoeuvre (See Jordan http://www.anzmi.net/jordan/jordan.html)

 

Read this extract from a report about McAuley:

 

“During the ADF deployment to East Timor Bill got a lift to Dili through uncertain means and apparently appeared there in uniform. Bill tried to Redress the fact that he had not received his Active Service Medal and East Timor clasp. The record shows that Bill was never on the list of Deployed Members, he was at best a visitor for a period of about three days. The claim that he was there at the behest of the Commander Land Command Engineers (Colonel xxxxxx at that time) has never been supported. In Bill's claim I read the reports that were to justify his 'deployment'. The reports were high school geography coverage on the general terrain and water supply of the island. Any reasonable atlas of the area would I believe provide more detail and accuracy that I found in these reports."

 

Even though McAuley “appeared” in East Timor pretending to have been sent there, he had the temerity to apply for a Defence Housing Loan on the basis of his three days East Timor unofficial service.  When he was “knocked back” by Defence Housing he lodged a complaint through the Australian Peacekeepers and Peacemakers Veterans’ Association, (APPVA) who included McAuley’s false claim to an Australian Government Senate Committee hearing: 

 

This is what was said about McAuley by the APPVA

 

Submission to the Senate Hearing Committee of Australia’s Involvement in Peacekeeping Operations dated 20 March 2007.

 

"Recordkeeping of personnel movements

 

23.19 The APPVA also identified a situation, which it considered as not isolated, where a specialist performing a specific task in an area classified as warlike service was not eligible for relevant benefits.18 It cited the case of Captain McAuley, who has been denied an ADF entitlement of a subsidised housing loan under the ADF Home Loan Scheme.19 He was an active reservist who conducted a risk assessment of a water supply for INTERFET troops and provided geological advice about a section of damaged road. The classification of his trip is central to the dispute between him and Defence. Defence understands that he was classified as a visitor and not ’force assigned, which means that he is not deemed eligible to access benefits to those recognised as providing operational service in East Timor’."

 

Further reports from senior Army management describe McAuley as follows:

 

“He is a bully when it comes to dealing with women and those he can fool with his airs of superiority. He craves attention and desperately wants to be a Major (the lowest rank he would be entitled to use followed by (rtd)), and any other post nominal he can confer upon himself.

 

he was a JP in the state of Victoria, his address in Victoria was that of a friend as Defence records showed him living in southern NSW. The issue here is that Victorian JPs have to actually live in Victoria. I understand that Bill is no longer listed as a JP by the Attorney General's Department. As he is no longer a serving member he is not entitled to call himself Captain or CAPT (rtd) which would suggest CAPT RAN. He is not entitled to wear medal or claim the post nominal RFD, if he does he is a fraud and breaking the law”.

 

The photograph below shows McAuley all done up as an Army Captain and being named Captain McAuley at a Royal Societies of Australia Dinner on the 2 February 2008.  The caption with the photograph says Capt Bill McAuley RSV and President RSA.   The term RSV refers to him being President of the Royal Society Victoria and RSA is the Royal Societies of Australia. McAuley is no longer a member of the RSV as he has been expelled following allegations of harassment and bringing the Society into disrepute.

 

 

It is of interest to note that McAuley set up and registered the Royal Societies of Australia (RSA), then just like an African General announced himself as President for life. The RSA is a doomed organization because of its undemocratic nature with Dictator “Captain” McAuley at the helm.    

 

The “RFD” referred to in the Senior Army Management Report is the Reserve Forces Decoration (RFD) that McAuley has used as a post nominal as late as 2008 It appears he conned his way into being issued that medal until he was found out. He was sent a letter from Honours and Awards demanding the return of the RFD for destruction in February 2004, he had not returned it as at April 2009.

 

McAuley also “conned” from Honours and Awards an Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) with East Timor clasp. Following an audit by Honours and Awards he was found to be not eligible for the medal and it was cancelled on cancellation schedule 287/05, and he was ordered to return the medal - which he did on 10 Feb 2005.

 

More McAuley information from military senior management

 

“I have formed the opinion that Bill McAuley is either a borderline personality or a workplace psychopath. I know that Bill has a 'Walter Mitty' view that he is right and its only the rest of the world that is out of step. He is a bully when it comes to dealing with women and those he can fool with his airs of superiority. He craves attention and desperately wants to be a Major (the lowest rank he would be entitled to use followed by (rtd)), and any other post nominal he can confer upon himself”.

 

McAuley uses the title Captain to indicate he is a retired Defence Force Officer.  Only retired Navy Captains have the privilege of using that title. McAuley is well known for alluding to his Navy service when using the title “Captain”.  McAuley failed as a Navy officer and resigned his commission after eight months of which six months was spent at shore bases and two months “Under Training” on board HMAS Supply. He held the rank of Lieutenant but was never qualified for the rank.  His service as a part time Army Officer was also flawed and he never completed examinations for his rank. His Army commission was terminated by Army Management.

 

According to all evidence to hand McAuley was a very poor example of an officer of the Australian Defence Force and because of his skills as a con man and a bully has avoided confrontation until now.  For all of the reasons listed above we present William John Watson McAuley as a wannabe.

 

13th May 2010

 

Update - William John Watson McAuley of Woomboota, Southern New South Wales 

 

Further evidence that McAuley likes to “Dress up” and desperately wants to be seen as a returned serviceman is to hand.

 

Here is a new photograph of McAuley with a St John’s “bauble” around his neck which – in his mind – makes him a Knight of some play group or other, in addition, he is wearing couple of miniature medals one is the International Year of the Volunteer Medal the other UK Voluntary Medical Service Medal. Both of these are just pretend medals worn by poseurs,

 

 

 

The next photo is of medal ribbons that McAuley had stuck to the back window of his car so that people may recognize him as a returned Veteran. Which he is not.

 

 

The medals are a mixed bag as follows;

 

International Force East Timor:                             No entitlement

 

A civilian self purchased St John’s Medal:            Self purchased bauble

 

Defence Long Service Medal:                               No entitlement

 

Australian Defence Medal:                                    No entitlement

 

UK Voluntary Medical Service Medal:                   Self purchased bauble

 

International Medal of the Volunteer Medal:          Self purchased bauble

 

A study of McAuley’s very short failed Navy career and his long and ineffectual Army Reserve career shows that McAuley always wanted to be seen as a military veteran in the higher strata of society, but he never understood that it takes a lot of work and dedication to earn real medals. Attending dinners and smoking cigars is simply not enough.

 

31st Aug 2010

 

In recent times McAuley has been spotted at a Toorak, Melbourne soiree wearing seven medals and what looks like a ribbon with no medal.  Before we cropped it, the photograph showed McAuley charming a group of Toorak belles with dulcet tones and his medals hanging out.

 

We make no claims about the dulcet tones, even though he is reported as having a lot to say about his Navy and Army “career”, however  we advise McAuley to stop wearing medals to which he has no entitlement and stop exaggerating his Navy and Military service. 

 

McAuley has not earned the medals he wears and Melbourne society is well aware of his burning desire to be seen as a war Veteran and the recipient of numerous medals when in fact his Navy and Military Service were both less than auspicious and non medal producing.

 

McAuley’s antics will be observed and reported, until he learns that he is not welcome in ex Service circles wearing fake medals.