Waiting ‘round the Bend: A Life in Australia’s Foreign Service

Howard Debenham was raised in Queanbeyan and Canberra. Joining the still fledgling Department of External Affairs in 1961, his career in Australia’s Foreign Service took him through eleven overseas postings in nine countries. He became a member of the Senior Executive of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Consul- General in Bangkok and Tokyo, Minister/Counsellor and Consul- General in Washington DC, and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

The river of his life rounded many bends and delivered experiences which ranged widely from dangerous and ugly to exhilarating, humbling and humorous. His recollections provide a candid, refreshing and at times irreverent insight into life in Australia’s Foreign Service.

Third edition, revised and expanded.