A Gosport woman has been recognised for her long and exemplary service as a Civil Servant in the Royal Navy. Sue Preston was presented with the Imperial Service Medal by Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral David Steel CBE, at a ceremony in Admiralty House, Portsmouth Naval Base.
Sue first joined the Civil Service in 1980 as a clerical assistant maintaining medical records in Stubbington, Hampshire.
Since then she has worked across a number of departments and locations including OPCS (now the Office for National Statistics) in Titchfield, Hampshire, the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in Portsmouth Dockyard as well as Flag Office and Naval Air Command (FONAC) in both Yeovilton and Fleetlands.
Sue resigned in 1986 to begin a family but was back in the Civil Service six years later working for the Civilian Workforce team at HMS Collingwood in Fareham. She ended her career as support staff to the Warfare Officers Career Management Organisation.
Sue, 50, from Lee-on-Solent, said:
“I feel very honoured to receive this award. I loved every minute in my last post, working in the Career Manager’s office and made so many friends; therefore receiving the medal was very much the icing on the cake.”
Captain Henry Duffy, Captain Surface Ships Portsmouth Flotilla worked closely with Sue. He said:
“Over a period of many years Sue Preston has provided an exemplary service to numerous areas of the Civil Service and Royal Navy. She is thoroughly deserving of the award of the Imperial Service Medal.”
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, April 24, 2013; Image: Royal Navy