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In spite of such problems, he recruited highly qualified academic staff and supervised the Territory Government’s
conversion of buildings at the former Darwin Hospital so that they could be used by the University College. Initial
student enrolments were higher than anticipated, funding was adequate and before long, the College’s work was
generally held in high regard. While some local resentment towards the College remained, Thomson worked hard
to enhance its image in the Territory. He and his wife were also very active in various community organisations.
As an administrator, he believed that academic staff should have as much time as possible to undertake teaching
and research. This meant that he made many key decisions himself or in consultation with his two Deans.
Most staff members were happy to accept this situation and they strongly supported Thomson. He worked hard
at establishing good personal relationships with staff. Although a scientist, he actively supported the humanities
and social sciences and had a special interest in history, even to the extent of attending an important academic
historians’ conference during a period of recreation leave.
As a result of the ‘Dawkins revolution’ in Commonwealth higher education, by 1988 it was clear that there
would be a merger between the University College and the Darwin Institute of Technology. Thomson was heavily
involved in the complex negotiations that finally resulted in the establishment of the Northern Territory University
in January 1989. To the disappointment of many, he was not appointed Interim Vice-Chancellor of the new
institution. Instead, he became Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He worked as hard as he had at the University College but
he was obviously less comfortable at the University, with its numerous committees and factions, than he was at
the smaller University College. He also had little sympathy for some ways in which Australian universities were
now required to operate and made no secret of his dislike of the application of techniques and concepts from the
corporate sector in tertiary education. Many staff both at the Northern Territory University and other universities
in Australia shared his concerns but they were powerless to change the situation. There was widespread regret
when Thomson finally retired at the end of 1990. He and his wife moved to Tasmania but made frequent trips back
to Darwin, where they had many friends and where he worked on a history of tertiary education in the Northern
Territory.
Thomson received many honours and awards, including Honorary Doctorates of Science from both the
University of Queensland and the Northern Territory University. In 1989, he was made a Member of the Order of
Australia (AM).
D Carment, personal files, 1986–1995; Who’s Who in Australia, 1995.
DAVID CARMENT, Vol 3.THOMSON, LACHLAN ARMSTRONG (LACHIE) (1933– ), Army officer and first Commanding Officer
of the 121st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, was born on 5 October 1933 and commissioned on 14 December 1955.
He saw service with the 111th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (1958) and the 11th Field Regiment (1958–1960).
He was promoted to Captain in 1959, and was an Honorary Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the Governor of Queensland
for a year in 1959–1960. He had recently completed a posting in Thailand as ADC to the South East Asia Treaty
Organisation’s Chief Military Planning Officer. A notable clarinet player, he was on friendly terms with the King
of Thailand who shared ‘Lachie’ Thompson’s enthusiasm for jazz. He was Battery Commander, Headquarters
Battery, 4th Field Regiment, at Wacol just outside of Brisbane in August 1964 when he was promoted Major and
appointed to raise and command the 121st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery.
In response to the unsettled situation to our near north and particularly following Indonesia’s declaration of
Confrontation (Konfrontasi) with the Federation of Malaysia (FOM), a proposal was made in June 1964 to HQ
Northern Territory Command by Lieutenant Colonel Jack Haydon, the Commanding Officer of the Command and
Staff Training Unit in Darwin, that an independent rifle company be raised in Darwin, capable of conducting low
level infantry operations. During a visit to the Northern Territory in the latter half of 1964, the Chief of the General
Staff, Lieutenant General John Wilton, approved Colonel Haydon’s submission. With an escalation of activities
to the northwest, however, attention was instead directed towards raising a Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) Battery
to defend the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Radar installation at Lee Point. The Commander Northern
Territory Command, Lieutenant Colonel Bob Millar, suggested that Lieutenant Colonel Haydon take command
of the battery, but Haydon did not have the time to raise and command a new unit as well as maintain his civilian
employment commitments. Thus the 121st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery (CMF) came to be raised in late 1964 by a
Regular Army artillery officer, Lachlan Thomson.
The Battery was to have the responsibility of defending the RAAF Control and Reporting Unit (CRU) at
Lee Point and, in addition, Thomson was to train all Regular Army and Navy personnel in Darwin so that they
could man the guns in the event of a situation arising short of a general mobilisation of the Reserves. Thomson
took command of his battery on 16 September 1964, as a temporary Major, and was promoted substantively on
14 December 1965. He had a Regular Army cadre of 22 men with Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) ‘Sid’ Penhaligon
as Battery Sergeant-Major. For most of his staff, this was their first visit to Darwin, and they were somewhat
surprised at the prevailing attitude amongst the Service personnel—the civilian population was well aware of
the threat that existed but amongst the military personnel, the impression he gained was that of ‘Sleepy Hollow’.
Thomson commented, ‘Until the formation of the battery there were no operational Army units and the prevailing
atmosphere was one of Mañana, Mañana, Mañana’.
Thomson received a full battery’s worth of equipment, four International P3 and four Land Rovers, and a host
of other equipment taken out of mobilisation stocks, and the battery was armed with twelve 40mm Bristol Bofors
guns. By November, the battery had taken 88 recruits on strength, all officers had completed a course conducted
by the Air Defence Wing of the School of Artillery, and potential non-commissioned officers (NCOs) had been