Ruth Dobson

Ruth Dobson OBE
Born Ruth Violet Lissant Dobson
(1918-10-05)5 October 1918
Neutral Bay, New South Wales
Died 14 December 1989(1989-12-14) (aged 71)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Nationality Australian
Alma mater University of Sydney (BA)
Occupation Public servant, diplomat

Ruth Violet Lissant Dobson OBE (5 October 1918 – 14 December 1989) was an Australian public servant and diplomat.

Life and career

Born in Neutral Bay, NSW on 5 October 1918, Dobson was just seven years old when her father died.[1][2]

Dobson joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1943 as a research assistant in the Department of External Affairs,[3][4] having unsuccessfully applied for a cadetship earlier that year.[1]

In 1965, Dobson was seconded to Government House as private secretary to Lady Casey.[1] Her 16 month secondment was followed by an appointment as First Secretary in the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.[5]

In 1974, when appointed Australian Ambassador to Denmark, Dobson became the first Australian woman career diplomat to be appointed an ambassador.[6] She was the second Australian woman to work in an ambassadorial—Dame Annabelle Rankin had been appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand in 1971, but Rankin's was a political appointment.[7]

In 1978, Dobson was appointed Australian Ambassador to Ireland.[8] At the end of the posting, in 1981, Dobson retired.[7]

Dobson died on 14 December 1989 in Canberra.[1]

Awards

Dobson was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1982, in recognition of her services to the Australian Public Service.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Marchant, Syliva (2007), "Dobson, Ruth Violet (1918–1989)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 10 February 2016
  2. ↑ Dobson, Ruth; Hamilton, Ian (1984), Ruth Dobson interviewed by Ian Hamilton, retrieved 10 February 2016
  3. ↑ "Obituary: Ruth Dobson - A Brilliant Career". The Canberra Times. ACT. 20 December 1989. p. 2.
  4. ↑ Downer, Alexander (8 March 2005). "Speech notes: To launch the DFAT Exhibition "Women Working for Australia" On the occasion of International Women's Day 2005" (Press release). Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "En route to Manila". The Canberra Times. ACT. 26 January 1967. p. 19.
  6. ↑ "New envoy guest speaker". The Canberra Times. ACT. 3 May 1974. p. 7.
  7. 1 2 Goodall, Bill (26 December 1983). "Life not busy enough for a former ambassador". The Canberra Times. ACT. p. 6.
  8. ↑ "Reception". The Canberra Times. ACT. 4 November 1978. p. 8.
  9. ↑ Search Australian Honours: DOBSON, Ruth Lissant, The Order of the British Empire - Officer (Civil), Australian Government, archived from the original on 11 February 2016
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Gerald Harding
as Chargé d'affaires		 Australian Ambassador to Denmark
1974–1978 		Succeeded by
James Humphreys
Preceded by
Brian Hill		 Australian Ambassador to Ireland
1978–1981 		Succeeded by
Lloyd Thomson
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