Douglas Sturkey

Robert Douglas (Doug) Sturkey CVO, AM (born 7 September 1935) is a former Australian diplomat and Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra.

Robert Douglas Sturkey

Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia
In office
1990  14 July 1998
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor-GeneralBill Hayden (1990–96)
Sir William Deane (1996–98)
Preceded bySir David Smith
Succeeded byMartin Bonsey
Personal details
Born (1935-09-07) 7 September 1935
Greymouth, New Zealand
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
Australian National University

Early life

Sturkey was born in Greymouth, New Zealand, on 7 September 1935 to James Robert and Jessie Grace Sturkey. The family emigrated to Australia in 1936, where Douglas was educated at Wesley College, Perth, and the University of Western Australia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in 1956.[1]

Public service

Douglas Sturkey was a member of the diplomatic staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 1957 to 1998, during which time he served at seven Australian missions abroad, and at departmental headquarters in Canberra. Senior appointments held include Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York; Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other states in the Arabian Peninsula; and, in Canberra, Principal Adviser responsible for policy advice to the government on matters relating to Australia's relations with South East Asia.

In 1990 he was appointed to succeed Sir David Smith as Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia, a position he held until 14 July 1998.

Academia

On his retirement from the Australian Public Service, Sturkey completed a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy within the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra. His doctoral dissertation was on the Clinton Administration's attempt to effect a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute.

Sturkey took up an appointment as Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in 2004. His research interests are listed as including Middle East politics, the Arab-Israeli dispute, and Gulf security.

Honours

  • In the New Years Honours List of January 1995, Sturkey was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) for his services as the Official Secretary to the Governor-General.[2]
  • In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of June 1999, Sturkey was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services as the Official Secretary to the Governor-General, to the Australian Diplomatic Service, and to the Canberra community.[3]
  • Dr Sturkey is also a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and is currently a Priory Officer of the Order in Australia, being the Order's Director of Ceremonies.

References

Sources

Further reading

  • Sturkey, Douglas. The Limits of American Power: Prosecuting a Middle East Peace (2007), Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84720-243-8
Government offices
Preceded by
Sir David Smith
Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia
1990 – 1998
Succeeded by
Martin Bonsey
Diplomatic posts
New title
New title
Australian High Commissioner to Malta (Acting)
1967
Succeeded by
Hubert Opperman
Preceded by
Donald Kingsmill
Australian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
1979 – 1983
Succeeded by
Alan Brown
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.