Peter Dunstan Hastings (1920–1990) was an Australian journalist and editor. He was editor of Consolidated Press's ''

Bulletin Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...

'' (1962–64), and foreign affairs writer for News Ltd's '' Australian'' (1966–70) and John Fairfax & Sons Ltd's ''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'' (1970–74, 1976–90). As a journalist specializing in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, Hastings became a respected figure in both of these countries, despite being banned from Indonesia on two occasions. He also enjoyed good relationships with embassies and

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

officials in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Life and career

Hastings was born on 1 October 1920 at

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb in the North Shore (Sydney)#Upper North Shore, Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia ...

in Sydney. He attended

Sydney Grammar School (Praise be to God) , established = , type = Independent, day school , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = None , slogan = , headmaster = R. B. Malpass , founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran , chairman = ...

and matriculated in 1941, before attending the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

without graduating. In May 1941 he enlisted in the

Citizen Military Forces The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

and in 1942 transferred to the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) As a sergeant in intelligence, he served with the Central Bureau, a code-breaking signals unit and with the Far Eastern Liaison Office. On 3 July 1944 he was discharged from the AIF as medically unfit. After the War, Hastings realised an aptitude for journalism by joining Consolidated Press Ltd. He was posted to New York City in 1948. For the next six years, Hasting provided daily dispatches to the ''Daily Telegraph'' in which he closely followed the activities of the United Nations. Hastings was also the executive officer of the ‘think tank’, the Council on New Guinea Affairs which he founded with (Sir) John Kerr, and was senior research fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

, in Canberra from 1974 to 1976. Hastings was banned from Indonesia for reporting on its military preparation for the 1975 invasion of

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

and in 1984 for reporting on the death of anthropologist

Arnold Ap Arnold Clemens Ap (born July 1, 1946, in Numfor Island, Netherlands New Guinea – died April 26, 1984, in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, Indonesia) was a West Papuan cultural leader, anthropologist and musician. Arnold was the leader of the group ...

in Irian Jaya. On 26 January 1990, Hastings was awarded an Australia Day Honour for service to journalism.

Personal life

Hastings married Scottish-born Jeanette (Jan) Duncan England on 7 March 1946 at Harbord Presbyterian Church, Freshwater,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Hastings had two sons with his wife before divorcing in 1980. Hastings then married Jolika Barbara Tie, née Bartsch, on 28 March 1981 at the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Sydney. After years of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

and ischaemic heart disease, Hastings died on 7 August 1990 at his home at Manly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hastings, Peter Dunstan 1920 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Australian male writers Australian male journalists Australian newspaper editors 20th-century Australian journalists Officers of the Order of Australia The Sydney Morning Herald people People educated at Sydney Grammar School