Roden Cutler

Arthur Roden Cutler was born on 24 May 1916. His cousin, Sir Charles Cutler, was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975. Arthur grew up in the Sydney Harbour suburb of Manly where he attended the Manly Village Public School. At the age of 15 he enrolled at Sydney Boys High School. After school, he worked for the Texas Company Australasia, which later became Texaco. He studied economics during the night at the University of Sydney and joined the Sydney University Regiment in 1936.[1]

On 10 November 1939, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Sydney University Regiment.[2] He enjoyed all sports, especially riding, rifle shooting and water polo, and was awarded a University Blue in swimming. As an 18-year-old lifesaver, he swam to the aid of a surfer who was being circled by a large shark. The shark brushed him twice as he helped the surfer to the beach.

In May 1940, he volunteered for overseas service with the Second Australian Imperial Force, receiving a commission in the 2/5th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, 7th Division.[3]

In 1941, Cutler served with the 2/5th in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign. During the period between 19 June and 6 July, in the Merdjayoun-Damour area of Syria, and as part of the Battle of Merdjayoun, Lieutenant Cutler's exploits included repairing a telephone line under heavy fire, repulsing enemy tank attacks, setting up an outpost to bring fire to a road used by the enemy and, with a 25-pound field gun, demolishing a post threatening the Australian advance. Later, during the Battle of Damour, he was seriously wounded and when rescued 26 hours later his leg had to be amputated. Cutler received the Victoria Cross for his actions in the Merdjayoun-Damour area,[4] and was medically discharged in 1942.

Cutler married Helen Morris on 28 May 1946. They had four sons. She died on 8 November 1990 at St Vincent's Hospital.[5]

Cutler remarried in 1993 to Joan Goodwin.[6][7]

Following the war, Cutler began a long career in the Australian diplomatic service. At the age of 29 he was appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand (1946–52). Other postings within the Commonwealth followed; he served in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) (1952–55) and was the Australian Minister in Egypt during the Suez Crisis in 1956. As a result of his service in Egypt, Cutler was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1957 New Years Honours.[8]

Cutler acted as Secretary-General of the South-East Asia Council of Ministers meeting in Canberra in January 1957 and became Chief of Protocol of the Department of External Affairs (1957–58). Cutler was also State President of the Returned Services League in 1958. He was Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan, (1958–61), and Australian Consul-General in New York, (1961–65), during which period he was the Australian delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1962, 1963 and 1964 and was the Australian Representative to independence of the Republic of Somalia in 1960.

For his diplomatic services to Australia, he was honoured by The Queen as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in December 1965.[9] He was further honoured as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1970.[10] He was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) in 1981.[11]

His final diplomatic posting, in 1965, as Ambassador to the Netherlands, was cut short in 1966 when he returned home as Governor of New South Wales, an office he served for a record 15 years, through four Premiers, and a change of government after eleven years of conservative rule. Such was his popularity that the Labor Premier, Neville Wran, extended his last term until 1981.

As the longest-serving state governor, Cutler occasionally acted as Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia in the absence of the Governor-General. He acted as Administrator during Sir John Kerr's term from 20 February – 13 March 1975, 12–24 May 1975, 16–17 September 1975, 23 December 1975 – 3 February 1976, 26 April – 14 June 1977 and finally 23–28 August 1977. Cutler was also scheduled to act during November 1975, when Kerr had planned an overseas holiday. However, in view of the developing situation in Canberra, Kerr cancelled his travel bookings. In 1975, Cutler's advice to Kerr that he should warn Prime Minister Gough Whitlam of his impending dismissal, was ignored. Cutler later said that, had he been Administrator at the time, he would certainly have accepted his prime minister's advice and he would have allowed the parliament to resolve the issue without recourse to any such drastic action as dismissal.[12]

Grave of Sir Roden and Lady Cutler

Following the end of his term as governor, Cutler was given various chairmanships and business appointments, including as chairman of Ansett Express (1981–92) and the State Bank of New South Wales (1981–86). Throughout the republican debate and referendum he remained a staunch monarchist and proud Australian, believing the monarchy brought stability, continuity and tradition to his country. He co-operated with the popular Australian novelist Colleen McCullough on a biography, Roden Cutler, VC, which appeared in 1998. Cutler died on 22 February 2002 following a long illness. He was accorded the rare honour of a State Funeral on 28 February 2002 by the New South Wales Government.[13]

In 1968 the first in a new class of Sydney Harbour ferries was named the Lady Cutler.[14]

A 19-storey commercial/office building completed in 1975 at 24 Campbell Street, Sydney, was named in his honour.

The highway interchange at Casula, New South Wales is named in his honour as "Cutler VC interchange".

The Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation helps the elderly and physically handicapped to be mobile and also with transport to and from their medical appointments. Many people have contributed to this cause, notably Cutler's former high school, Sydney Boys High, and his primary school, Manly Village, which also dedicated memorials to Cutler on the 90th anniversary of his birth.

	Victoria Cross (VC)	(1941)[4]
	Knight of the Order of Australia (AK)	(1981)[11]
	Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG)	(1965)[9]
	Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)	(1970)[10]
	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)	(1957)[8]
	Knight of Justice of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ)	(1965)[15]
	1939–45 Star	[15]
	Africa Star	[15]
	Defence Medal	[15]
	War Medal 1939–1945	[15]
	Australia Service Medal 1939–45	[15]
	Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	(1953)[15]
	Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal	(1977)[15]
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	(2002)[15]

Appointments

• Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia (Hon.FCA).

Honorary degrees

• 1967: Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon.LLD), University of Sydney.[16]
• 1967: Honorary Doctor of Science (Hon.DSc), University of New South Wales and Newcastle (NSW).[17]
• 19 June 1981: Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt), University of New England.[18]
• 1985: Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt), University of Wollongong.[19]

Honorary military appointments

• 22 August 1966 – 12 March 1985: Honorary Colonel of the Royal New South Wales Regiment.[20][21]
• 12 September 1966 – 12 March 1985: Honorary Colonel of the Sydney University Regiment.[20][22]
• 20 January 1966 – 8 July 1981: Honorary Air Commodore of No. 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.[23][24]

• Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation