Keith Waller

Sir
Keith Waller
CBE
Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
In office
6 April 1970  6 November 1970
Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
In office
6 November 1970  3 January 1974
Personal details
Born John Keith Waller
19 February 1914
Died 14 November 1992 (aged 78)
Nationality Australia Australian
Parents Arthur James Waller[1]
Alma mater University of Melbourne
Occupation Public servant

Sir (John) Keith Waller CBE (19 February 1914  14 November 1992) was a senior Australian public servant and diplomat.

Life and career

Keith Waller was born in Melbourne in 1914.[2][3] He was educated at Scotch College and the University of Melbourne.[2]

Waller joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1936, in the Department of External Affairs.[2] In 1937 he was appointed Private Secretary to Billy Hughes, then Minister for External Affairs.[4]

His career proved to be long and successful, establishing himself as a successful diplomat across a number of postings, including to Moscow, Washington and Bangkok.[2] In 1943 whilst senior officer to the Australian Legation at Chungking, Waller married Alison Dent in Bombay, India.[5][6]

He was appointed Secretary of the Department of External Affairs (later Department of Foreign Affairs in 1970), retiring from the public service in 1974 on his 60th birthday.[7]

Soon after his retirement, Waller prepared a brief assessing the Australian Government security and intelligence apparatus as it existed in the mid-1970s.[8]

Waller died in Canberra on 14 November 1992 aged 78.[9][10]

Awards

In June 1961, Waller was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire whilst Ambassador to the USSR.[11] He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1968 during his time as Ambassador to the United States of America.[12]

A street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Keith Waller Rise in 2011, in Waller's honour.[3]

References

  1. "Obituary: Mr A. J. Waller". The Argus. 29 January 1945. p. 7.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Waller, Keith (1974). Keith Waller interviewed by Professor J. D. B. Miller. Interview with John Donald Bruce Miller.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Keith Waller Rise, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, archived from the original on 27 February 2014
  4. CP 950: Sir John Keith WALLER, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 12 September 2014
  5. "To marry in Bombay". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 February 1943. p. 3.
  6. Sir Keith Waller and his wife on their wedding day, Bombay, India, 1943 [picture], National Library of Australia, retrieved 18 April 2014
  7. Juddery, Bruce (2 January 1974). "Changing of the guard at Foreign Affairs". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
  8. Fewster, Alan (11 April 2014). "George Brandis controls the future of scathing spy papers". The Australian (News Ltd).
  9. "Obituary: Sir Keith Waller- A diplomat of the old school". The Canberra Times. 17 November 1992. p. 7.
  10. "Deaths". The Canberra Times. 16 November 1992. p. 23.
  11. Search Australian Honours:WALLER, John Keith, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 April 2014
  12. Search Australian Honours:WALLER, John Keith, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 April 2014
Government offices
Preceded by
James Plimsoll
Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
1970
Succeeded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
Preceded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of External Affairs
Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
1970 – 1974
Succeeded by
Alan Renouf
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Herbert Peterson
Australian Consul-General in the Philippines
1948 – 1950
Succeeded by
George Moore
as Minister to the Philippines
Preceded by
Howard Beale
Australian Ambassador to the United States
1964 – 1970
Succeeded by
James Plimsoll