Tom Critchley
Tom Critchley AO CBE | |
---|---|
Born | Thomas Kingston Critchley 27 January 1916 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Died | 14 July 2009 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 93)
Nationality | Australian |
Alma mater | University of Sydney |
Occupation | Public servant, diplomat |
Spouse(s) | Susan Cappell (m. 1962–2009) |
Thomas Kingston Critchley AO CBE (27 January 1916 – 14 July 2009) was an Australian public servant, diplomat, author and journalist.[1][2][3][4][5]
Critchley was born in Melbourne but grew up at Longueville in Sydney and attended North Sydney Boys High School.[6] He joined the Rural Bank after completing high school and attended the University of Sydney by night to study economics.
After World War II, Critchley joined the Department of External Affairs as the head of the economic relations section.[6] His first diplomatic role with the department was assisting Australia's representation of Indonesia against the Dutch during the Indonesian National Revolution. He was on the United Nations Commission for Indonesia between 1947 and 1950 and played a role securing Indonesia's independence from the Dutch.[7]
Critchley served as Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia (1955–1965); Ambassador to Thailand (1969–1973); High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (1974–1978); and Ambassador to Indonesia (1978–1981).
Critchley, a keen surfer, golfer and tennis player, who also played piano, died on 14 July 2009, survived by his wife Susan and their four daughters.[6]
Family[]
Critchley's daughter, Laurie Critchley, is a television producer.[8]
References[]
- ^ Farmer, Bill (28 July 2009). "Death of Great Australian Diplomat" (Press release). Archived from the original on 24 March 2015.
- ^ Siagian, Sabam P. (22 August 2009). "Tom Critchley: Defender of Indonesia's independence". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015.
- ^ Stephens, Tony (25 July 2009). "Supported Asian independence". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Critchley honoured". The Canberra Times. ACT. 22 November 1965. p. 1.
- ^ "Replacing Mr Critchley: Transfer leaves diplomatic void". The Canberra Times. ACT. 17 November 1965. p. 15.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Stephens, Tony (24 July 2009). "Trailblazer in South-East Asia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016.
- ^ Smith, Stephen (24 August 2009). "T.K. (Tom) Critchley AO CBE" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- ^ Kalina, Paul (16 October 2014). "The Embassy TV series reveals just how badly Australians can behave abroad". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- 1916 births
- 2009 deaths
- Ambassadors of Australia to Indonesia
- Ambassadors of Australia to Thailand
- High Commissioners of Australia to Malaysia
- High Commissioners of Australia to Papua New Guinea
- Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Officers of the Order of Australia
- People educated at North Sydney Boys High School
- Australian Army personnel of World War II
- Australian Army officers
- Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
- Royal Australian Air Force airmen
- Australian government biography stubs
- Australian writer stubs