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Graham Feakes

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Graham Feakes AO
Born
Graham Barton Feakes

(1930-03-20)20 March 1930
Adelaide, South Australia
Died3 December 1994(1994-12-03) (aged 64)
Sydney, New South Wales
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Public servant, diplomat

Graham Barton Feakes AO (20 March 1930 – 3 December 1994) was an Australian public servant and diplomat. From 1984 to 1990, Feakes was Australian High Commissioner to India.

Life and career

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Feakes, born in Adelaide on 20 March 1930,[1] joined the Australian Public Service in the Department of External Affairs in 1951.[2] He said that his motivation for joining the department was in part due to years spent traveling widely for his father's work as a child.[1]

In 1969, Feakes became Australian Ambassador to Cambodia.[3] During his time as ambassador in Phnom Penh, he felt some level of anxiety and concern for his family's safety.[1]

From 1972 to 1974, Feakes was assistant secretary in charge of policy research at the Department of Foreign Affairs.[1] He was then promoted to first assistant secretary of the South Asia division in 1974.[1][4]

Between 1976 and 1980, Feakes was the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia.[5][6]

In 1984, Feakes was appointed Australian High Commissioner to India and non-resident ambassador to Nepal.[2][7] After his appointment ended in 1990, he was made Chairman of the first Australia-India Council Board in 1992.[8]

Feakes died at his home in Sydney on 3 December 1994, at the age of 64.[9][10]

Awards

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In January 1985, Feakes was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to the Public Service as a diplomat representative and in the development of Australian relations with South and South East Asia.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Graham Feakes interviewed by Michael Wilson for the Australian diplomacy 1950-1990 oral history project, National Library of Australia
  2. ^ a b "Feakes named for India post". The Canberra Times. ACT. 1 June 1984. p. 3.
  3. ^ "New envoy". The Canberra Times. ACT. 12 April 1969. p. 5.
  4. ^ "The price of betrayal", The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 September 2000, archived from the original on 27 December 2013
  5. ^ "New envoy to Malaysia". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 March 1976. p. 3.
  6. ^ "New posting". The Canberra Times. ACT. 22 January 1980. p. 3.
  7. ^ Bowen, Lionel (31 May 1984). "Diplomatic appointment - India and Nepal" (Media Release). ParlInfo: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  8. ^ Evans, Gareth (26 June 1992), The Australia-India Council: Making Old Friends Closer Friends (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2015
  9. ^ "Feakes, Graham Barton, A.O." Sydney, New South Wales: The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 December 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  10. ^ ""Feakes, Graham B., 1930-1994 -- Interviews"". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Search Australian Honours: FEAKES, Graham Barton, Officer of the Order of Australia", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 28 January 2016
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Australian Ambassador to Cambodia
1969–1972
Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia
1976–1980
Succeeded by
Preceded by Australian High Commissioner to India
1984–1990
Succeeded by
David Evans