William Cole | |
---|---|
Secretary of the Department of Defence | |
In office 6 February 1984 – 15 October 1986 | |
Preceded by | Bill Pritchett |
Succeeded by | Alan Woods |
Secretary of the Department of Finance | |
In office 7 December 1976 – 2 November 1978 | |
Preceded by | New department |
Succeeded by | Ian Castles |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert William Cole 16 September 1926 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Died | 8 January 2019 Perth, Western Australia | (aged 92)
Alma mater | University of Melbourne [1] |
Occupation | Public servant |
Sir Robert William Cole (16 September 1926 – 8 January 2019) [2] [3] was a senior Australian public servant. He held secretary-level positions in four departments or agencies during the Fraser government and Hawke government years.
Cole was born in 1926 in Melbourne. [4] [5] His parents were James Cole and Rita Tassie. [6]: 56 He had two younger siblings, Geoff and Barbara. [6]: 56 He attended Northcote High School but left school in 1941. [6]: 56 He began his public-service career at the age of 15 as a telegraph messenger. [6]: 56 In 1944, he was conscripted in and served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II ending in service's postal division. [6]: 56 After being demobilised, he returned to his previous work at the Department of Supply in Melbourne. [6]: 56
In 1948, taking advantage of the Labor government's Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, he completed his high school years 11 and 12. [6]: 56 This allowed him to attend and completed a commerce degree at the University of Melbourne. [7]
After graduating, Cole briefly worked in the Department of Supply, and then in 1952 moved to Canberra to work as a research officer in the Department of the Treasury. [6]: 56 He was seconded to the International Monetary Fund in 1957 and worked in Washington, D.C., until 1959, when he returned to the Treasury. [6]: 56 He was director of the Bureau of Transport Economics from 1970 to 1972, and then took on various senior roles: [7]
He met his wife Margaret Martin in Canberra and were married in November 1956. [6]: 56 They had two children, Kate and Robert. [6]: 56
Cole was knighted in the 1981 New Year Honours. [9] [10]