Sir Geoffrey John "Geoff" Yeend (1 May 1927 – 6 October 1994) was a senior Australian public servant. 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 the Prime Minister and Cabinet between 1978 and 1986.

Life and career

Geoffrey Yeend was born on 1 May 1927 in Melbourne. Following his father's footsteps into 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 Go ...

, Geoffrey Yeend began his career in 1945 in the Department of Post-War Reconstruction. Prime Minister

Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...

appointed Yeend Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in April 1978, after Yeend had been with the Department since 1950. Yeend left the public service in 1986, following a heart attack. Both in working life as a Commonwealth Public Servant and after his retirement, Yeend was highly committed to community life in Canberra as a golfer, hockey player, board director, charitable contributor and as Chancellor of the Australian National University. He was well-respected and admired by many in the local community. Yeend died in Sydney on 6 October 1994.

Awards and honours

Yeend 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in June 1976. He was honoured again in 1979 when he was made 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 ...

. In January 1986 he was appointed a Companion of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

for public service particularly as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and as Secretary to Cabinet. He was also bestowed with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, by the Emperor of Japan for his contribution to promoting economic and cultural relations between Australia and Japan. In 2012, a street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Yeend Avenue in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeend, Geoffrey 1927 births 1994 deaths Australian public servants Australian Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of Australia Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian National University alumni Chancellors of the Australian National University 20th-century Australian public servants