Bill Pritchett
| Bill Pritchett AO | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Defence | |
|
In office 16 August 1979 – 6 February 1984 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Beal Pritchett 31 January 1921 Sydney |
| Died | 28 January 2014 (aged 92) |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Elvira "De" Voorstad |
| Children | Isabel and Henry |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney (BA) |
| Occupation | Public servant |
William Beal "Bill" Pritchett AO (31 January 1921 – 28 January 2014) was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Defence between 1979 and 1984.
Life and career
Bill Pritchett was born on 31 January 1921.[1] For schooling, he attended the Sydney Church of England Grammar School.[1] Pritchett studied for an Arts Degree at Sydney University, specializing in history and anthropology.[2]
Pritchett served in World War II and then, in 1945, joined the Commonwealth Public Service as a Cadet in the Department of External Affairs.[1] His first overseas post was to Indonesia, during the country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands.[1]
In 1965, Pritchett was appointed Australia High Commissioner to newly-independent Singapore.[3]
In 1973, Pritchett was recruited to the Defence Department by his former boss in External Affairs, Arthur Tange.[4] He was later appointed Secretary of the Defence Department when Tange retired in 1979.[1][5] During his time as departmental head, Pritchett worked to improve the departmental culture.[6][7]
Pritchett retired from the public service in 1984.[1][8]
Awards and honours
In January 1984 Pritchett was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his public service.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Furlonger, Bob (8 February 2014). "William Pritchett: From diplomat to head of Defence Department". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.
- ↑ Barratt, Paul (28 January 2014), "Vale Bill Prichett 1921–2014", Australian Observer, archived from the original on 6 February 2014
- ↑ "Our man for new State.". The Canberra Times. ACT. 14 August 1965. p. 4.
- ↑ Furlonger, Bob (7 February 2014). "William Pritchett: From diplomacy to the Defence Department". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014.
- ↑ CA 46: Department of Defence [III], Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 16 February 2014
- ↑ "Vale W.D. Pritchett, 1921-2014", Letter to the Canberra Times (not published), Australia Defence Association, 7 February 2014, archived from the original on 15 February 2014
- ↑ Dobell, Graeme (6 February 2014), "To think and to do in Defence", The Strategist: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Blog, The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, archived from the original on 14 February 2014
- ↑ Waterford, Jack (2 February 2014). "A gentleman in an unforgiving world". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Search Australian Honours: PRITCHETT, William Beal, Australian Government
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Walter Crocker as High Commissioner |
Australian High Commissioner to India (Acting) 1962–1963 |
Succeeded by James Plimsoll as High Commissioner |
| Preceded by Tom Critchley as High Commissioner to Malaysia |
Australian High Commissioner to Singapore 1965–1967 |
Succeeded by Alfred Parsons |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Arthur Tange |
Secretary of the Department of Defence 1979–1984 |
Succeeded by William Cole |