William Cole (public servant)

Sir Robert William Cole (16 September 1926 – 8 January 2019)[2][3] was a senior Australian public servant. He held secretary-level positions in four departments or agencies during the Fraser Government and Hawke Government years.

Sir

William Cole
Secretary of the Department of Defence
In office
6 February 1984 – 15 October 1986
Preceded byBill Pritchett
Succeeded byAlan Woods
Secretary of the Department of Finance
In office
7 December 1976 – 2 November 1978
Preceded byNew department
Succeeded byIan Castles
Personal details
Born
Robert William Cole

(1926-09-16)16 September 1926
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died8 January 2019(2019-01-08) (aged 92)
Perth, Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne[1]
OccupationPublic servant

Background

Cole was born in 1926 in Melbourne.[4][5] His parents were James Cole and Rita Tassie.[6]:56 He had two younger siblings, Geoff and Barbara.[6]:56 He attended Northcote High School but left school in 1941.[6]:56 He began his public-service career at the age of 15 as a telegraph messenger.[6]:56 In 1944, he was conscripted in and served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II ending in service's postal division.[6]:56 After being demobilised, he returned to his previous work at the Department of Supply in Melbourne.[6]:56

In 1948, taking advantage of the Labor government's Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, he completed his high school years 11 and 12.[6]:56 This allowed him to attend and completed a commerce degree at the University of Melbourne.[7]

After graduating, Cole briefly worked in the Department of Supply, and then in 1952 moved to Canberra to work as a research officer in the Department of the Treasury.[6]:56 He was seconded to the International Monetary Fund in 1957 and worked in Washington, D.C., until 1959, when he returned to the Treasury.[6]:56 He was director of the Bureau of Transport Economics from 1970 to 1972, and then took on various senior roles:[7]

Marriage

He met his wife Margaret Martin in Canberra and were married in November 1956.[6]:56 They would have two children, Kate and Robert.[6]:56

Honours

Cole was knighted in the 1981 New Year Honours.[9][10]

References
  1. CP 635: Roger Sir Robert William COLE KT, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 28 March 2014
  2. Who's Who in Australia
  3. "William Cole". WestAnnouncements.com.au.
  4. National Library of Australia
  5. National Library of Australia
  6. Cornish, Patrick (21 January 2019). "Staunch public servant". The West Australian.
  7. "Sir Robert William Cole - 1926 to 2019". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 11 January 2019.
  8. Parliament of Australia: Departmental Machinery of Government Since 1987
  9. Search Australian Honours: COLE, Robert William, Australian Government, archived from the original on 28 March 2014
  10. "State Intelligence" (PDF). The London Gazette. 12 May 1981. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2012.
Government offices
Preceded by
Jack O'Neill		 Australian Statistician
1976		 Succeeded by
Roy Cameron
New title
Department established
 Secretary of the Department of Finance
1976–1978		 Succeeded by
Ian Castles
Preceded by
Mick Shann		 Chairman of the Public Service Board
1978–1983		 Succeeded by
Peter Wilenski
Preceded by
Bill Pritchett		 Secretary of the Department of Defence
1984–1986		 Succeeded by
Alan Woods
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