List of Australian High Commissioners to Singapore

The High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the High Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Singapore. The High Commissioner has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is currently Bruce Gosper. In 2015, Australia and Singapore celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations alongside celebrations for 50 years of Singapore's independence.[1]

High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore
Incumbent
Bruce Gosper
since January 2017
StyleHis Excellency
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderBill Pritchett
Formation10 August 1965
WebsiteAustralian High Commission, Singapore

History of relations

The earliest diplomatic representation dates from 1 September 1941 (although a Trade Commissioner for the East had been posted in Singapore from 1922–1925), when the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, announced the appointment of Vivian Gordon Bowden as Australia's Official Representative at Singapore, the capital of the British Straits Settlements, with the aim of being the official intermediary between the Commonwealth Government and the British authorities.[2] Bowden was supported by a Commercial Secretary, Alfred Wootton, and a Third Secretary, John Quinn.[3] Bowden was captured following the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942 and was murdered by his Japanese captors two days later, despite his diplomatic status and being a non-combatant prisoner of war.[4] With the end of Japanese occupation, Australia posted a resident Commissioner and Trade Commissioner in post-war Singapore from 1946 to their federation with Malaysia in 1963, when the post became the Deputy High Commission to Malaysia.[5]

Singapore and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 10 August 1965, following Singapore's independence when it was expelled from Malaysia the day before on 9 August. Australia was the first country to recognise Singapore and the serving Prime Minister at the time of recognition, Sir Robert Menzies, announced "I have informed the Singapore Prime Minister that we will be happy to establish full diplomatic relations with Singapore at the level of High Commissioner and that we wish Singapore well in its new sovereignty and look forward to a continuance of close and friendly relations with the new State and with Malaysia."[6] Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had made his first visit to Australia in March 1965.[7] Bill Pritchett, who had been serving as Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia in Singapore since January 1964, was appointed as the first High Commissioner three days after recognition, by Foreign Minister Paul Hasluck.[8]

Office-holders

Commissioners
NameStart of termEnd of termReferences
Egbert Sheaf (Trade Commissioner)19221925
Posting closed
Vivian Gordon Bowden (Official Representative)1 September 194114 February 1942[2]
Posting closed
Claude Massey4 January 19461946[9]
James Payne (Trade Commissioner)19461951[10]
A. Jack Day (Trade Commissioner)19511953[10]
Laurence McIntyreNov 1952March 1954
Sir Alan WattMarch 1954April 1956
Ralph HarryApril 1956December 1957
David McNicolDecember 1957November 1960
Gordon JockelNovember 1960September 1963[11]

Deputy High Commissioners
NameStart of termEnd of termReferences
Richard Woolcott16 September 19638 January 1964[5]
Bill Pritchett8 January 196413 August 1965[5]

High Commissioners
NameStart of termEnd of termReferences
Bill Pritchett13 August 1965February 1967[8]
Alfred ParsonsFebruary 19679 June 1970[12]
Nicholas ParkinsonJune 1970December 1973[13]
Robert BirchDecember 1973February 1977[14]
Laurence CorkeryFebruary 1977January 1978[15]
Geoffrey PriceJanuary 1978April 1981[5]
Kenneth McDonaldApril 1981December 1983[5]
Walter HandmerDecember 1983March 1988[5]
M Rosaleen McGovernMarch 1988September 1990[5]
Alan BrownSeptember 1990October 1993[5]
Ted DelofskiOctober 1993February 1997[5]
Murray McLeanFebruary 1997August 2001[16]
Gary QuinlanAugust 2001July 2005[17]
Miles KupaJuly 2005October 2008[18]
Doug ChesterOctober 2008August 2012[19]
Philip Green25 August 2012December 2016[20]
[21]
Bruce GosperJanuary 2017present[22]

See also

References
  1. Bishop, Julie (20 May 2015). "50 years of Australia-Singapore friendship" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016.
  2. "Singapore Appointment". The Scone Advocate. NSW. 2 September 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. CA 2944: Official Representative, Singapore, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 16 July 2017
  4. Darryl Bennet, 'Bowden, Vivian Gordon (1884–1942)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/bowden-vivian-gordon-9552/text16825, published first in hardcopy 1993, accessed online 15 August 2015.
  5. CA 2953: Australian High Commission, Singapore, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 15 August 2015
  6. "Australia will still help to defend Singapore". The Canberra Times. 11 August 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Singapore P.M. arrives". The Canberra Times. 16 March 1965. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Our man for new State". The Canberra Times. 14 August 1965. p. 4. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "COMMISSIONER TO SINGAPORE". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 4 January 1946. p. 7. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Australian Trade Changes". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld. 18 September 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Envoy to Indonesia". The Canberra Times. 25 January 1969. p. 9. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "Envoy chosen for Singapore". The Canberra Times. 31 December 1966. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "Forward defence". The Canberra Times. 5 June 1970. p. 5. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Appointments". The Canberra Times. 14 December 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Envoy". The Canberra Times. 19 February 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. Downer, Alexander (29 November 1996). "Diplomatic Appointment: Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012.
  17. Downer, Alexander (6 March 2001). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner To Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  18. Downer, Alexander (15 June 2005). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner To Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  19. Smith, Stpehen (30 July 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner To Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
  20. Carr, Bob (24 August 2012). "High Commissioner to Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  21. "Presentation of Credentials Ceremony". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  22. Bishop, Julie (30 September 2016). "High Commissioner to Singapore" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016.
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