Sir Edwin William "Ted" Hicks (9 June 1910 – 14 May 1984) was a senior Australian public servant and diplomat. He was

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 Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

from 1956 to 1968.

Life and career

Ted Hicks was born in Elsternwick, Melbourne, on 9 June 1910. He was educated at Haileybury College and Melbourne Grammar School. Hicks and his parents together moved to Canberra in 1927 and Hicks studied Commerce at the Canberra University College (now known as the

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 an ...

). Hicks was appointed

of the

Department of Air The Department of Air is a former Australian federal government department. Created on 13 November 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War, it assumed control of the administration and finance of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF ...

in 1951, and his effectiveness there led to his appointment in 1956 as head of the

, succeeding Frederick Shedden, who had been in the role for many years, including for the entire duration of World War II. Hicks announced that he would retire from the Department of Defence in December 1967, to be appointed Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand from early 1968. Hicks died in the Royal Canberra Hospital on 14 May 1984.

Awards

Hicks was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in May 1956 for his service as Secretary of the Department of Air. In June 1965, while Secretary of Defence, he was honoured as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

References

1910 births 1984 deaths Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor High Commissioners of Australia to New Zealand People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Secretaries of the Australian Department of Defence People from Elsternwick, Victoria People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne) Australian National University alumni People from Canberra {{Australia-gov-bio-stub