Toz Dadswell grew up in Red Cliffs, a soldier settlement in North-West Victoria. He entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1946 and on graduation in 1949, was awarded the Kings Medal. After completing junior officer training he volunteered to specialize in naval aviation and was awarded his wings in 1956. In 1964 he was joining HMAS Melbourne’s landing circuit when the carrier collided with the destroyer HMAS Voyager. In 1970 he broke, and held for a short time, the record for the number of carrier landings made by an RAN pilot.
 

Among the appointments held by Toz during his naval career were; Commanding Officer 816 Squadron, Commanding Officer Melbourne Air Group, Commanding Officer HMAS Melbourne, Commodore Commanding HMAS Albatross, Naval Officer Commanding Victoria Area and Naval Officer Commanding North Australia Area. In 1981 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

After retiring from the RAN in 1986 Commodore Dadswell was recalled to design a scheme for the employment of the tall ship, YOUNG ENDEAVOUR, a bicentennial gift from the British Government. The outcome of this exercise was the creation of the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, a most successful project which is still operating today.