Joint Patrons

JOINT PATRONS
His Excellency
The Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM
Governor of Western Australia
and Mrs Darrilyn Dawson
His Excellency the Honourable Chris Dawson AC APM was sworn in as the 34th Governor of Western Australia on 15 July 2022.
Chris Dawson AC APM was educated at Perth Modern School before joining the Western Australia Police Force in 1976, going on to provide 46 years of service in Australian law enforcement. He served in country and metropolitan positions, criminal investigation, training and senior roles.
After 10 years as Deputy Commissioner, he left WA for a national role in Canberra between 2014 to 2017 as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Crime Commission, amalgamating several agencies into the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. He also served as Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology during this period.
He was appointed Commissioner of the Western Australia Police Force in August 2017, serving until July 2022.
He is married to Darrilyn Dawson, Education Consultant, with two married children and five grandchildren.
With over 40 years experience in the education sector, Mrs Dawson has taught in government and private schools in both country and metropolitan areas.
Mrs Dawson has held a variety of roles throughout her career, including classroom teaching and as a Deputy Principal, and Principal in numerous primary schools. A career highlight was securing a job-share Principal role, which was successful over a number of years in several large primary schools.
Mrs Dawson has served on several government school Boards. She is an Education Consultant, providing leadership training and mentoring, and is regularly involved in school selection panels, appointing educational leaders.