Bertram Charles Ballard (22 January 1903 – 15 July 1981) was an Australian public servant and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

Life and career

Ballard was born on 22 January 1903 in Toorak, Melbourne the eldest of three children in his family. He attended Scotch College and then the University of Melbourne, graduating with first-class honours. Ballard joined the

Commonwealth Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the Gov ...

as Australian government solicitor in New Hebrides, Vanuatu in 1934. On 6 August 1940, Ballard was appointed Australia's first official representative in Nouméa, New Caledonia. He was tasked with encouraging war-time cooperation between New Caledonia and Australia and was also responsible for reporting to the Australian Government on economic and political affairs. He applied for a job in the Department of External Affairs in 1943. In his first decade at the external affairs department, he was posted to Japan, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), France, the Soviet Union and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In April 1952, Ballard was appointed Australia's first Minister to Thailand. He left for Bangkok that month to take up the posting. In February 1955, the then External Affairs Minister appointed Ballard Australian Minister to Israel. Ballard retired in 1967 from his final posting as Australian Ambassador to Sweden (1965–1967). Ballard was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours for "service to the public service as a diplomatic representative". On 15 July 1981, Ballard died at Kew, Victoria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, Bertram 1903 births 1981 deaths Consuls-general for Australia in Nouméa Ambassadors of Australia to Israel Ambassadors of Australia to Sweden Ambassadors of Australia to Thailand High commissioners of Australia to Ghana High commissioners of Australia to Sri Lanka Permanent representatives of Australia to the United Nations Office in Geneva University of Melbourne alumni Members of the Order of Australia People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne