Neil Currie
Sir Neil Currie | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Supply | |
| In office 1 November 1971 – 12 June 1974 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Manufacturing Industry | |
| In office 12 June 1974 – 22 December 1975 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce | |
| In office 22 December 1975 – 7 May 1982 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Neil Smith Currie 20 August 1926 |
| Died | 30 July 1999 (aged 72) Batemans Bay, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse |
Geraldine Evelyn Dexter
(m. 1951) |
| Children | Deborah, Keith, Bruce and Janet |
| Parent | George Alexander Currie |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia (BA) |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Sir Neil Smith Currie CBE (20 August 1926 – 30 July 1999) was a senior Australian public servant and policymaker.
Life and career
[edit | edit source]Neil Currie was born on 20 August 1926 in Mackay, Queensland.[1]
Currie began his Commonwealth public service career in 1948 as a cadet in the Department of External Affairs.[1] He graduated from his cadetship alongside Rowen Osborn, and Barrie Dexter.[2]
Currie married Geraldine Evelyn Dexter in Tokyo in 1951 during his first posting there.[1][3] Their engagement had been announced in March 1951.[4] Three of the couple's four children were born in Tokyo.[5]
He held several positions as a departmental head, namely Secretary of the Department of Supply between 1971 and 1974,[6] Secretary of the Department of Manufacturing Industry between 1974 and 1975,[7] and Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce.[8]
In 1982 then Foreign Minister Tony Street appointed Currie the Australian Ambassador to Japan.[9][5] His posting, until 1986, was at a time when Japan was Australia's biggest trading partner.[10]
Currie died in Batemans Bay on 30 July 1999, aged 72.[1] His wife, Geraldine, died on 2 May 2019 at the age of 92.[11]
Awards and honours
[edit | edit source]Currie was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1978.[12] In 1982 he was appointed a Knight Bachelor.[13]
In 2000, the Australia Japan Foundation established the Sir Neil Currie Australian Studies Award Program to commemorate Currie's life and his contribution to Australian-Japanese relations.[14]
A street in the Canberra suburb of Casey in 2009 was named Neil Currie Street in Currie's honour.[15]
References
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- ^ Reported in The Canberra Times, 8 May 2019.
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Further reading
[edit | edit source]- Mitcham, Chad J., 'Currie, Sir Neil Smith (1926–1999)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/currie-sir-neil-smith-280, published online 2023.
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