Lieutenant Matthew Charles KLOHS, RAN

Having joined the RAN in January of 1991 as a 17 year old, Lt Matt Klohs completed Recruit School and joined the Melbourne Detachment of the RAN Band in April of that year as a Flute, Piccolo, Saxophone and Piano player.  He was the first Direct Entry Qualified Musician to join the RAN Band and required no Initial Music Training.

Following postings to HMAS Lonsdale, HMAS Cerberus and HMAS Kuttabul, he discharged from the RAN in August of 1996 to pursue a freelance Music career.  During the next three years, Matt performed as a Pianist and Vocalist throughout Australia and maintained close ties with the RAN Band by performing regularly with the QLD Detachment of the RAN Band, a reserve unit.

Upon rejoining the RAN Band in July of 1999, he was promoted in minimum time to Leading Seaman in 2001 and held various positions within HMAS Cerberus including Suicide Intervention, Equity & Diversity Advisor, Sexual Offence Support Team member and Workplace Mentor. In 2002, Matt received a Commanding Officer’s Commendation for a Suicide Intervention resulting in a Sailor returning to work and continuing a successful career as a Technical Instructor.

In 2003, Matt was posted to HMAS Warramunga for the first of 3 sea deployments, travelling around the Pacific.  In that year, he undertook 13 weeks of advanced training at the Defence Force School of Music and became qualified to gain the rank of Petty Officer. In 2004, he again deployed to sea, this time on HMAS Anzac for a deployment to South East and Northern Asia. On this deployment he held the position of Second in Charge of the RAN Band deployed element comprising eight musicians.

2005 saw Matt undertake the last of his sea deployments, this time in charge of a ten-piece Band element travelling on HMAS Kanimbla around Northern Australia. This same year saw him promoted to Petty Officer, deployed on active service to the Solomon Islands as part of Tour de Force 3 and to the Middle East Area of Operations as part of Tour de Force 4, resulting in his receiving the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp IRAQ 2003.

In January 2007, Matt was Commissioned and promoted to Sub Lieutenant and undertook Band Officer Training for 16 months, again at the DFSM. Upon graduation, he took up his current position as Assistant Director of Music-Navy and was promoted Lieutenant in January 2009. He anticipates taking Command of the Sydney Detachment of the RAN Band(58 Musicians) in January of 2010.

Matt is an accomplished and published composer for Wind Band, and has recently had a major work World Premiered on live National Radio through ABC Classic FM to an audience of almost 750,000. He has published scores in several countries, including Europe and the UK. He has a great passion for leadership and inspiring musicians to achieve their very best at all times from the conducting podium.  The Longlook Exchange program is an opportunity for him to both contribute and learn within a different environment, and presents a new and exciting challenge.

Matt is an A Grade golfer and his wife, Robyn Heard is a Patent Attorney and Associate with Griffith Hack, an Intellectual Property Law Firm in Melbourne.

Last Updated 14 April 2009