Malcolm Booker

Malcolm Richard Booker (9 August 1915 – 15 July 1998)[1] was an Australian public servant, diplomat, author and journalist.

Malcolm Booker
Born
Malcolm Richard Booker

(1915-08-09)9 August 1915
Died15 July 1998(1998-07-15) (aged 82)
NationalityAustralian
Occupation(s)Public servant, diplomat
SpouseRoxana

He held diplomatic posts as an Ambassador in Thailand (1962–1963), Italy (1970–1974) and Yugoslavia (1974–1976). He was also Chargé d'Affaires in Myanmar from 1952 to 1953. After his diplomatic career he published several books and wrote regularly for The Canberra Times.

Life and career

As a young man, Booker served as private secretary to Billy Hughes, the former prime minister. He later became one of Hughes' biographers, publishing The Great Professional: A Study of W.M. Hughes in 1980.[2]

While on posting to Manila as first secretary from 1950 to 1952, Booker met Roxana. The pair became engaged, celebrating their betrothal at a party on the peak in Hong Kong.[2]

From 1952 to 1953, Booker was Chargé d'Affaires in Burma, responsible for establishing the legation.[2][3] He returned to Canberra in April 1953.[4]

In 1962, Booker was appointed Australian Ambassador to Thailand.[5] When he returned to Canberra in 1963, Booker was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Territories.[6] He soon returned to the external affairs department, taking a position as first assistant secretary, Level 3.[7]

Booker was Australian Ambassador to Italy from 1970 to 1974.[8][9] In March 1974 Booker was appointed the Australian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, with simultaneous appointments as the non-resident Ambassador to Romania and Bulgaria.[10]

Booker's book The Last Domino was published in 1976. The book was critical of several previous Australian foreign affairs ministers and the 1975 Whitlam dismissal.[11][12]

Booker died on 15 July 1998.[2]

Works
  • The Last Domino: Aspects of Australia's Foreign Relations. Collins. 1976. ISBN 0002114496.
  • Last Quarter: The Next Twenty-five Years in Asia and the Pacific. Melbourne University Press. 1978. ISBN 0522841511.
  • The Great Professional: A Study of W.M. Hughes. McGraw-Hill Book Company. 1980. ISBN 0070729360.
  • Conflict in the Balkans. Catalyst Press. 1994. ISBN 0646177869.

References
  1. ANU: People Australia
  2. Hull, Crispin (18 July 1998), Malcolm Booker diplomat dies after wife, archived from the original on 10 August 2014
  3. "New Legation". The Advertiser. Adelaide, SA. 6 May 1952. p. 4.
  4. "Canberra Diary". The Canberra Times. 22 April 1953. p. 2.
  5. CA 2785: Australian Embassy, Thailand [Bangkok], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 3 June 2016
  6. "Diplomat in new office". The Canberra Times. 1 March 1963. p. 3.
  7. Gray, Arthur (23 February 1977). "Former envoy threatens legal action". The Canberra Times. p. 11.
  8. "New envoy". The Canberra Times. 4 May 1970. p. 8.
  9. "Former diplomat begins action against PSB". The Canberra Times. 11 March 1977. p. 8.
  10. "Ambassador". The Canberra Times. 5 March 1974. p. 1.
  11. "Envoy back". The Canberra Times. 2 December 1976. p. 3.
  12. "Diplomat without post is puzzled". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 December 1976. p. 3.

Further reading
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