Rawdon Dalrymple

Rawdon Dalrymple studied at Sydney and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and briefly taught philosophy before joining External Affairs in 1957. His diplomatic career included ambassadorships in Israel and Indonesia, followed by Washington in 1985 and Tokyo in 1989. Economic and trade questions occupied much of his work. ¹

In Washington, Dalrymple and his staff helped Canberra argue for preserving ANZUS while Washington suspended its obligations to New Zealand over nuclear ship access. He also sought better access to senior American officials and organised meetings for Hawke's 1986 visit, focused on agricultural trade. The embassy pressed Congress and the administration over American export subsidies that harmed Australian farmers. ²

After retiring from the foreign service in 1994, Dalrymple taught international relations at the University of Sydney and continued writing about Australia's engagement with Asia. ¹