Sir Neil Smith Currie (20 August 1926 – 30 July 1999) was a senior Australian public servant and policymaker.

Life and career

Neil Currie was born on 20 August 1926 in Mackay, Queensland. Currie began his

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 Go ...

career in 1948 as a cadet in the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. He graduated from his cadetship alongside Rowen Osborn, and Barrie Dexter. Currie married Geraldine Evelyn Dexter in Tokyo in 1951 during his first posting there. Their engagement had been announced in March 1951. Three of the couple's four children were born in Tokyo. He held several positions as a departmental head, namely

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of the

Department of Supply The Department of Supply was an Australian government department that existed between March 1950 and June 1974. History Established in 1950, the Department of Supply headquarters transferred to Canberra in January 1968. In 1964 the ...

between 1971 and 1974, Secretary of the

Department of Manufacturing Industry The Department of Manufacturing Industry was an Australian government department that existed between June 1974 and December 1975. History When the Department of Manufacturing Industry was created in 1977, it was an amalgamation of t ...

between 1974 and 1975, and Secretary of the Department of Industry and Commerce. In 1982 then Foreign Minister

Tony Street Anthony Austin Street (8 February 1926 – 25 October 2022) was an Australian politician. He served in the House of Representatives from 1966 to 1984, representing the Division of Corangamite for the Liberal Party. He held ministerial office in ...

appointed Currie the Australian Ambassador to Japan. His posting, until 1986, was at a time when Japan was Australia's biggest trading partner. Currie died in Batemans Bay on 30 July 1999, aged 72. His wife, Geraldine, died on 2 May 2019 at the age of 92.

Awards and honours

Currie was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1978. In 1982 he was appointed a Knight Bachelor. In 2000, the Australia Japan Foundation established the Sir Neil Currie Australian Studies Award Program to commemorate Currie's life and his contribution to Australian-Japanese relations. A street in the Canberra suburb of Casey in 2009 was named Neil Currie Street in Currie's honour.

Life and career

Awards and honours

References

Further reading