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 |
 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
- ↑ "Obituary: Mr A. J. Waller". The Argus. 29 January 1945. p. 7.
- 1 2 3 4 Waller, Keith (1974). Keith Waller interviewed by Professor J. D. B. Miller. Interview with John Donald Bruce Miller.
- 1 2 Keith Waller Rise, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, archived from the original on 27 February 2014
- ↑ CP 950: Sir John Keith WALLER, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 12 September 2014
- ↑ "To marry in Bombay". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 February 1943. p. 3.
- ↑ Sir Keith Waller and his wife on their wedding day, Bombay, India, 1943 [picture], National Library of Australia, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ↑ Juddery, Bruce (2 January 1974). "Changing of the guard at Foreign Affairs". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
- ↑ Fewster, Alan (11 April 2014). "George Brandis controls the future of scathing spy papers". The Australian (News Ltd).
- ↑ "Obituary: Sir Keith Waller- A diplomat of the old school". The Canberra Times. 17 November 1992. p. 7.
- ↑ "Deaths". The Canberra Times. 16 November 1992. p. 23.
- ↑ Search Australian Honours:WALLER, John Keith, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 April 2014
- ↑ 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 David Hay |
Australian Ambassador to Thailand 1958–1960 |
Succeeded by Malcolm Booker |
| Preceded by Bill Cutts |
Australian Ambassador to the Soviet Union 1960–1962 |
Succeeded by Stewart Wolfe Jamieson |
| Preceded by Howard Beale |
Australian Ambassador to the United States 1964 – 1970 |
Succeeded by James Plimsoll |