Career within Commonwealth

Sir Geoffrey Yeend was born on 1 May 1927. He attended Canberra High School and was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Melbourne which he achieved through study in the former Canberra University College, now part of the Australian National University (ANU). 

Yeend joined the Public Service in 1945, and worked in the Department of Postwar Reconstruction and Department of the Prime Minister, then as private secretary to the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies in 1952-1955 and Assistant Secretary at the Australian High Commission in London 1958-1960, before returning to the Prime Minister’s Department. From 1978 to 1986 Yeend was Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He was also a director of several major companies and was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the ANU in 1998 and held that office until his appointment as Chancellor in 1990, a position he held until his death on 6 October 1990.

For his public service, Sir Geoffrey was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) on 12 June 1976 and on 16 June 1979 was created a Knight Bachelor (Kt). On 26 January 1986 he became a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).

Sources

Who’s Who in Australia 1992, p 1273

Minutes of the 282^nd Meeting of ANU CABS Council 14 Oct 1994

http://www.anu.edu.au/cabs/council/minutes/1994/cmin1094.html, accessed 7 Jul 2008

Minutes of the Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies meeting 20 October 1994, http://info.anu.edu.au/OVC/Divisional_Committees, accessed 18 August 2006

It’s an honour, web site maintained by the Awards and National Symbols branch within the Department of the prime Minister and Cabinet, www.itsanhonour.gov.au accessed 24 August 2006-08-25

Australia’s Prime Ministers, http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/whoswho, accessed 25 August 2006