Penelope Anne Wensley, (born 18 October 1946) is a former Australian public servant and diplomat who served as the 25th

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial func ...

from 2008 to 2014. She was previously High Commissioner to India from 2001 to 2004 and Ambassador to France from 2005 to 2008.

Early life

Penelope Anne Wensley was born in

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...

, Queensland, to Neil Wensley and his wife Doris McCulloch. She was educated at Penrith High School in New South Wales, the Rosa Bassett School in London (UK), and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, where she graduated with a first class Honours degree in English and French literature. She was a resident of the

Women's College Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

there. Her brothers, Robert Wensley and Bill Wensley, also attended the University of Queensland, as had her parents.

Diplomatic career

Wensley joined the Australian Public Service in 1967, working in the Department of External Affairs in 1967. Wensley was posted to Paris (1969–1972), returned to work in Australia, and was then given a posting in Mexico (1975–1977). She and her husband, Stuart McCosker, a

veterinary surgeon Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on animals by veterinarians, whereby the procedures fall into three broad categories: orthopaedics (bones, joints, muscles), soft tissue surgery (skin, body cavities, cardiovascular system, GI/urogenital/ ...

, had a daughter while posted in Mexico.Bhagat, Rasheeda
India – a roller coaster
''

The Hindu Business Line ''Business Line'' or ''The Hindu Business Line'' is an Indian business newspaper published by Kasturi & Sons, the publishers of the newspaper ''The Hindu'' located in Chennai, India. The newspaper covers priority industry verticals, such as Agri ...

'', 29 October 2004. Wensley's next diplomatic appointment was in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, New Zealand (1982–1985). She was consul general in Hong Kong from 1986 to 1988. From 1991 to 1992, she was head of the International Organisations Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 1994, Wensley was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by the University of Queensland. Wensley was Ambassador for the Environment from 1992 to 1996. She then became the first woman to be Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations in New York between 1997 and 2001.
Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York
.'' Archived media release, Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 8 August 1997. Wensley was then appointed as the first female Australian High Commissioner to India, a role she held until 2004. When Australia established diplomatic relations with Bhutan in September 2002, Wensley, as High Commissioner in India, was appointed as Australia's first ambassador there from May 2003. From 2005 to 2008, she was Australian Ambassador to France, and non-resident Ambassador to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, Mauritania and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

Governor of Queensland

On 6 July 2008, the

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

, Anna Bligh, announced that Queen Elizabeth II had approved Wensley's appointment as the next

, in succession to

Quentin Bryce Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...

, who was relinquishing the office prior to being sworn in as Governor-General of Australia. Wensley was sworn in on 29 July 2008. On 24 January 2013, Wensley's term was extended to July 2014.

Post-governorship

Since 2015, Wensley has served as chair of the Australian Institute of Marine Science Council. She is also chair of the advisory committee for Reef 2050, an advisory body working with the Australian and Queensland governments on a plan to protect and improve the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

. She also serves on the board of the

Lowy Institute The Lowy Institute is an independent think tank founded in April 2003 by Frank Lowy to conduct original, policy-relevant research about international political, strategic and economic issues from an Australian perspective. It is based in Sydney, ...

. Wensley has been long term patron of Soil Science Australia and is currently the National Soils Advocate of Australia https://www.pmc.gov.au/domestic-policy/national-soils-advocate

Honours

Wensley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2001, a Dame of the Order of St John in 2008, a Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit by the French government in 2009, and was advanced to

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2011. In 2016, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade named one of its 16 meeting rooms in honour of Wensley, in recognition of her work as a pioneering female diplomat.

References

External links

Government House, Queensland, official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wensley, Penelope 1946 births Living people Permanent Representatives of Australia to the United Nations Permanent Representatives of Australia to the United Nations Office in Geneva Companions of the Order of Australia University of Queensland alumni Governors of Queensland High Commissioners of Australia to India Ambassadors of Australia to Bhutan Australian women ambassadors Ambassadors of Australia to France Ambassadors of Australia to Morocco Ambassadors of Australia to Monaco Ambassadors of Australia to Mauritania Ambassadors of Australia to Algeria