Bob Lansdown

Bob Lansdown AO CBE
Secretary of the Department of Urban and Regional Development
In office 19 December 1972 – 22 December 1975
Secretary of the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development
In office 1 January 1976 – 30 November 1978
Secretary of the Postal and Telecommunications Department
In office 10 July 1979 – 3 November 1980
Secretary of the Department of Communications
In office 6 November 1980 – 1 February 1986
Personal details
Born	Robert Broughton Lansdown 9 May 1921 East Maitland
Died	6 May 2006(2006-05-06) (aged 84)
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Occupation	Public servant

Robert Broughton Lansdown AO CBE (9 May 1921 – 6 May 2006) was a senior Australian public servant and policymaker.

Life and career

Bob Lansdown was born on 9 May 1921 in East Maitland.[1] At the age of 14, he first joined the Australian Public Service, as a post office bicycle messenger in Strathfield.[2]

During World War II, Lansdown joined the Second Australian Imperial Force, serving in the Middle East and New Guinea.[2]

Lansdown first rejoined the Australian Public Service in 1950 as a Private Secretary in the Prime Minister's Department.[1]

In December 1972 Lansdown was appointed Secretary of the Department of Urban and Regional Development and he remained head of the department when it was transitioned to Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development.

Between July 1979 and November 1980, Lansdown served as Secretary of the Postal and Telecommunications Department.[1] He was the inaugural head of the Department of Communications when the Postal and Communications Department was abolished.[1]

In 1986, Lansdown retired from the public service.[3]

Awards and honours

Lansdown was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for housing, environment and community development in 1977.[4] In 1991 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to communications.[5]

In 2009, a street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Lansdown Crescent in Bob Lansdown's honour.[6]

References

1. CP 283: Robert Broughton LANSDOWN AO, CBE, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 17 March 2014
2. Juddery, Bruce (16 February 1973). "Developing a one man band into a full department". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
3. Hawke, Robert (23 July 1985). "Untitled" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
4. Search Australian Honours: LANSDOWN, Robert Broughton, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 March 2014
5. Search Australian Honours: LANSDOWN, Robert Broughton, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 March 2014
6. Lansdown Crescent, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, archived from the original on 27 February 2014

Government offices
New title Department established	Secretary of the Department of Urban and Regional Development 1972 – 1975	Succeeded by Himself as Secretary of the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development
Preceded by Himself as Secretary of the Department of Urban and Regional Development	Secretary of the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development 1975 – 1978	Succeeded by John Farrands as Secretary of the Department of Science and the Environment
Preceded by Don McMichael as Secretary of the Department of the Environment		Succeeded by George Warwick Smith as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction
Preceded by Alan Reiher as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction		Succeeded by Brian Tregillis as Secretary of the Department of Employment and Youth Affairs
Preceded by Fred Green	Secretary of the Postal and Telecommunications Department 1979 – 1980	Succeeded by Himself as Secretary of the Department of Communications
Preceded by Himself as Secretary of the Postal and Telecommunications Department	Secretary of the Department of Communications 1980 – 1986	Succeeded by Charles Halton