Lieutenant Commander Dave Lassam joined the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in February 1978, as a recruit medic.
Following training in recruit school he progressed to his initial category training as a medical sailor. This training was undertaken at the RAN Medical School located at HMAS CERBERUS in Westernport, Victoria.
After successful completion of this course (top of class) he was posted to the Hospital at HMAS CERBERUS for consolidation. Following another posting to the Naval Hospital at HMAS ALBATROSS in 1979, he moved to his first sea posting onboard the aircraft carrier HMAS MELBOURNE in 1980.
After several more postings and promotions, an award for Sailor of the Year at HMAS HUON and Instructor of the Year at HMAS CERBERUS. He was promoted to the officer corps in 1988.
During his service, LCDR Lassam performed many medical first aid roles particularly at dog shows. The first serious event occurred when an elderly lady had a massive heart attack whilst showing her Kelpie. At that time Dave Lassam was waiting outside the ring and heard the noise as she collapsed. He immediately went to her aid, performed CPR for a matter of 5-6 minutes until the ambulance arrived to take over. The lady survived and lived another two and a half years. The 23rd anniversary of this event is 07 August 2021. Dave has performed 6 CPRs at dog shows and attended many falls, head injuries, leg and ankle injuries, fractured arms, massive asthma attacks (later storm asthma) and has been available for first aid when he has been in attendance at a dog show and/or requested to provide this cover.
Additionally, he has attended many car accidents and has often been the first medical person on the scene and was able to treat and ensure the best possible outcome for the patients.
He has also attended the Blacksmith’s Convention in Footscray for a two day exhibition, as the medic.
Several postings ensued including Officer in Charge of the Medical School (twice), Headquarters Northern Command in Darwin, HMAS PENGUIN in Sydney and Headquarters Joint Operations Command located at Bungendore near Canberra.
He was involved in a number of operations including Operation Bali Assist in the aftermath of the first Bali Bombings, where he was one of the senior officers in control of the evacuation of injured people from Bali to Darwin and the subsequent move of the same people to other areas in Australia; Operation Astute in 2006 in East Timor, Operation Quickstep with regard to the coup in Fiji in 2006, Operation Slipper in the Middle East, and Operation Catalyst in Iraq in 2008 and 2009. In all these operations, he was designated as the Officer in Charge or Deputy Officer in Charge of the medical contingents that deployed on Australian Navy Warships, or the senior medical representative in two of the land operations.
He has had many highlights during his career including being a medic on HMAS Melbourne in 1981 when the Navy rescued 99 Vietnamese refugees from a sinking boat in the South China Sea; the first CPR he carried out in 1999; being given Command of an Australian Medical Contingent that deployed to the USN Hospital Ship Mercy for operations in South East Asia and Indonesia. This was the first time the MERCY had deployed for a humanitarian mission. (of note, the USN HS MERCY is currently in Los Angeles as a hospital backup during the COVID-19 Pandemic).
Lieutenant Commander Lassam had to retire in 2016 after almost 39 years’ service, due to ill health. However, he still supports the Navy by assisting schools in Victoria on their End of Year Awards nights.
He is also a qualified dog judge.
