THE PROFESSIONAL CAREER PUBLIC SERVICE: SOME REFLECTIONS OF A PRACTITIONER

I feel it a great honour to be invited to give the Robert Garran Memorial Oration of 1979. Although Sir Robert and I were of different generations, I did have some personal contact with him following my coming to Canberra in 1939. I also had the pleasure of knowing two of his sons, John and Andrew. Andrew and I were colleagues in our roles as Chairmen of the Victorian and Commonwealth Public Service Boards respectively. These small personal associations enable me to appreciate all the better the wide-ranging and historic contributions made by Sir Robert to government in Australia.