Australian Dictionary of Biography

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Life Summary

Name	Richard Wigram Austin
Born	16 March, 1919 Woollahra, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	17 May, 2000 (aged 81) Buderim, Queensland, Australia
Related Entries	[View as tree] Allen, Arthur Denis Wigram (nephew) Casey, Richard Gavin Gardiner (family friend) McMahon, William (work colleague) Murphy, Lionel Keith (acquaintance) Owen, William Francis (employer)
Education *	Cranbrook School (Sydney) (student, 1927-1931) University of Sydney (student, 1936-1947)
Occupation or Descriptor *	army officer (1940-1945) Federal, Australia prisoner of war (Australian) (1942-1945) Federal, Australia barrister (1948-1952) New South Wales, Australia British civil servant (1952-1955) Overseas intelligence officer (1955-1973) Federal, Australia public servant (1955-1973) Federal, Australia arts patron (1973-1986) Victoria, Australia company manager (1973-1986) Victoria, Australia arts patron (1986-2000) Queensland, Australia
Military Service *	World War II (army officer) Burma-Thailand Railway POW camp (prisoner of war) Fall of Singapore, 1942 (army officer) Changi POW camp (prisoner of war, 1942)
Awards	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (recipient, 1982) Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) (recipient, 1995) Officer of the Order of Australia (recipient, 1996) Gallery Medal (Queensland Art Gallery) (recipient, 2014)
Clubs *	Australian Jockey Club (NSW) (member, ?-2000) Commonwealth Club (ACT) (member, ?-2000) Melbourne Club (member, ?-2000) Union Club (Sydney) (member, ?-2000)
Key Organisations *	Australian British Trade Association (member) Australiana Fund (councillor) Film Board of Review (Commonwealth) (member) Queensland Films Board of Review (member) National Gallery of Victoria (trustee, 1973) National Gallery of Victoria (deputy president, 1973-1984) Australia Council (visual arts) (member, 1979-1982) Australia-Japan Foundation (member, 1981-1989) Griffith University (Qld) (council) (member, 1984-1990) Queensland Art Gallery (chairman of trustees, 1987-1995)
Workplaces *	Australian Secret Intelligence Service (public servant, 1955-1973) Australian Secret Intelligence Service (deputy secretary, 1971-1973) Conzinc Riotinto of Australia (executive manager, 1973-1986) Rio Tinto-Zinc (Japan) (representative director, 1974-1986)

* Dates are approximate