Sir Bede Bertrand Callaghan CBE (16 March 1912 – 19 September 1993) was an Australian banker and university administrator. He was managing director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia from 1965 to 1976 and chancellor of the University of Newcastle from 1977 to 1988.

Early life

Callaghan was born in

Wickham, New South Wales Wickham is an inner List of suburbs in Greater Newcastle, New South Wales, suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. History The Aboriginal people, in this ...

, to Amy Mabel (née Ryan) and Stanislaus Kostka Callaghan. He grew up in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

and attended Newcastle High School until the age of 14, when he began working as an office boy in a mining company.

Banking career

In 1927, aged 15, Callaghan began working at a Newcastle branch of the Commonwealth Bank. He moved to

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...

in 1934 and to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 1935, and thereafter progressed through the ranks of the company. In 1952, he moved to England to become assistant manager of the bank's London office. From 1954 he lived in Washington, D.C., as the bank's representative on the boards of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

and

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States; it is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers lo ...

. Callaghan returned to Australia in 1960 to become manager of the Commonwealth Development Bank. In May 1965, he succeeded Ernest Biggs Richardson as managing director of the Commonwealth Banking Corporation, a position he held until 1976. He was also president of the Bankers' Institute of Australasia from 1972 to 1974.

University of Newcastle

In 1966, Callaghan was appointed to the inaugural council of the University of Newcastle, located in his home town. He was made deputy chancellor in 1973, and finally served as chancellor from 1977 to 1988. After his retirement the suburb of Callaghan, containing the university, was named in his honour.

Honours

Callaghan was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1968. He was knighted in 1976 for services to banking.It's an Honour: Knight Bachelor
Retrieved 15 January 2019

Personal life

Callaghan married Mary (Mollie) Brewer in 1940. His three daughters include Kathryn Greiner, who was married to Nick Greiner, premier of New South Wales.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callaghan, Bede 1912 births 1993 deaths People from Newcastle, New South Wales Chancellors of the University of Newcastle (Australia) Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commonwealth Bank people