Keith Waller
Australian public servant and diplomat
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Sir (John) Keith Waller CBE (19 February 1914 – 14 November 1992) was a senior Australian public servant and diplomat.
19 February 1914
Sir Keith Waller | |
|---|---|
Waller in 1958 | |
| 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 | |
| 7th Ambassador of Australia to the United States | |
| In office 20 April 1964 – 1 June 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Beale |
| Succeeded by | James Plimsoll |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Keith Waller 19 February 1914 |
| Died | 14 November 1992 (aged 78) |
| Parent | Arthur James Waller[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Life and career
Keith Waller was born in Melbourne in 1914.[2][3] He was educated at Scotch College[4] and Ormond College at 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.[5]
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.[6][7]
Waller was Australian Consul-General in Manila from 1948 to 1950. During this time he dealt with the fall-out of the Lorenzo Gamboa case, which saw a Filipino man separated from his wife and children due to the White Australia policy. He received death threats, but later downplayed its significance and dismissed it as a "trivial case".[8]
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.[9]
_1960-62_Wallers_inspecting_cattle_in_Siberia.jpg)
Soon after his retirement, Waller prepared a brief assessing the Australian Government security and intelligence apparatus as it existed in the mid-1970s.[10]
Waller died in Canberra on 14 November 1992 aged 78.[11][12]
Awards
In June 1961, Waller was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire whilst Ambassador to the USSR.[13] He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1968 during his time as Ambassador to the United States of America.[14]
A street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Keith Waller Rise in 2011, in Waller's honour.[3]