Henry Armand Bland (later Sir Henry) was born on 28 December 1909 in South Randwick, New South Wales. He was educated at Sydney High School, and later attended the University of Sydney where he studied law and arts and graduated as a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with honours (1932).

In 1927, Bland joined the New South Wales Public Service, working in the Crown Law Office. He was admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of NSW (1935) and was an Alderman with Sydney's Ryde Council (1937-39). In January 1940, he was appointed Acting Agent-General for NSW in London, but returned to Sydney the following year as adviser on civil defence to the NSW Government.

Bland transferred to the Commonwealth Public Service in 1942 as Principal Assistant to the Director-General of the Directorate of Manpower and remained in that position for the remainder of World War II. He was then appointed Assistant Director of Employment, Department of Labour and National Service (1946-47), Assistant Secretary (General) (1947-52) and Secretary in the same department (1952-68). As Permanent Head of the Department of Labour and National Service, Bland was a member of the Ministry of Labour Advisory Council and Standing Committee on Productivity; and was involved in the establishment of the Commonwealth Employment Service.

In 1968, Sir Henry Bland became Secretary of the Department of Defence and, in that capacity, was also Chairman of the Defence Administration Committee. He held these positions until his retirement from the Commonwealth Public Service in March 1970.

Later in his career, Bland was Chairman of the Board of Inquiry into the Victorian Land Transport System (1970-71), Chairman of the Commonwealth Committee on Administrative Discretions (1972-73), sole member of the Board of Inquiry into the Victorian Public Service (1973) and Chairman of the Fraser Government's Administrative Review Committee (1975-76). He was appointed Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission for three years in July 1976, but retired from the position in December the same year. Bland was subsequently Arbitrator in a dispute between Tasmanian and the Australian National Railways (1978). He was also a director of several Melbourne based companies, including Australian Mining and Smelting (from 1971) and Tubemakers of Australia Ltd and Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (Aust) Ltd (from 1972).

Sir Henry Bland was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1957 and a Knight Bachelor (Kt) in 1965. He died in November 1997.

Debretts Handbook of Australia and New Zealand, 1984
Federal Guide and Commonwealth Directory (various issues, 1947-70)
Who's Who In Australia 1955, p 99; 1985, p 108; 1998, p 233

Summary heading

  Sir Henry Bland (CP 392)

Unregistered links

  cAug 1958 – cJan 1968:  Department of Labour and National Service, Standing Committee on Productivity – Member

  Jan 1968 – Mar 1970:  Defence Administration Committee - Chairman