Mick Shann
| Sir Keith "Mick" Shann CBE | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Public Service Board | |
|
In office 1977–1978 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Keith Charles Owen Shann 22 November 1917 Kew, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Died |
4 August 1988 (aged 70) Darlinghurst, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Spouse(s) |
Betty Evans (m. 1944–1988; his death) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Public servant and diplomat |
Sir Keith Charles Owen "Mick" Shann CBE (22 November 1917 – 4 August 1988) was a senior Australian public servant and diplomat.
Life and career
Mick Shann was born in Kew, Melbourne on 22 November 1917.[1] His father was Frank Shann, a respected teacher and headmaster in Melbourne.[2] He studied Arts at the University of Melbourne, where he was in residence at Trinity College from 1936 to 1936, winning the Alcock Scholarship.[3]
Shann's first Commonwealth Public Service positions were at the Bureau of Census and Statistics and the Department of Labour and National Service in 1939.[1] He moved to the Department of External Affairs in Canberra 1946.[1]
In 1970, Shann was appointed a Deputy Secretary in the Department of External Affairs, shortly before it was renamed the Department of Foreign Affairs.[1] In this role until 1973, he worked alongside Departmental secretary Keith Waller to raise the department's reputation and morale.[1] During his time in the Deputy Secretary role, he insisted that the department's staff should go back on regular Public Service classifications and salary levels and the formal separation between diplomatic and administrative foreign affairs staff should be abolished.[4]
Shann was appointed Australian Ambassador to Japan in 1973.[5]
Shann died on 4 August 1988,[1] he was 70 years of age.[6]
Awards and honours
Shann was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in January 1964 while he was Ambassador in Jakarta.[7] He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in June 1980.[8]
In 2012, a street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Mick Shann Terrace in Shann's honour.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Edwards, Peter, "Shann, Sir Keith Charles Owen ('Mick') (1917–1988)", Australian Dictionary of Biography (Australian National University), archived from the original on 14 May 2013
- ↑ Menzies, Robert (2011). Henderson, Heather, ed. Letters to My Daughter. Pier 9.
- ↑ Fleur-de-Lys, Nov. 1936, pp. 7, 11.
- ↑ Juddery, Bruce (15 April 1977). "New Chairman of the Public Service Board: Mr 'Mick' Shann settles into a very different job". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
- ↑ "Diplomatic reshuffle announced". The Canberra Times. 27 September 1973. p. 1.
- ↑ Hastings, Peter (8 August 1988), "Farewell to Mick Shann, diplomat", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 14
- ↑ "Search Australian Honours: SHANN, Keith Charles Owen", itsanhonour.gov.au (Australian Government), archived from the original on 23 April 2014
- ↑ "Search Australian Honours: SHANN, Keith Charles Owen", itsanhonour.gov.au (Australian Government), archived from the original on 23 April 2014
- ↑ Mick Shann Terrace, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, archived from the original on 27 February 2014
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George D. Moore |
Australian Minister to the Philippines 1955 – 1957 |
Succeeded by Alfred Stirling |
| Australian Ambassador to the Philippines 1957 – 1959 | ||
| Preceded by Patrick Shaw |
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia 1962 – 1966 |
Succeeded by Max Loveday |
| Preceded by Gordon Freeth |
Australian Ambassador to Japan 1973 – 1977 |
Succeeded by John Menadue |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Alan Cooley |
Chairman of the Public Service Board 1977 – 1978 |
Succeeded by William Cole |