Hugh Alexander Dunn

After retiring from public service in 1985, Dunn served as Chairman of the Brisbane China Committee, in this capacity actively furthering Australia’s relationship with China. He was also a Visiting Professor in the School of Modern Asian Studies at Griffith University and Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at the University of Queensland. He wrote extensively on Sino-Australian relations and the teaching of the Chinese language. Dunn died in Brisbane on 5 November 2005 at the age of 82.

In a public service career of over 30 years, Dunn served in Japan, South Korea, the United States, India and South Vietnam, and was Australian High Commissioner to Kenya, Uganda, and Seychelles, and Ambassador too Ethiopia (1978–1980); Ambassador to Taiwan (1969–1972); Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru (1973–1976), and Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (1980–1984). In the 1985 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for “services to the public service, particularly in the field of international relations and in the development of Australian relations with China”.

Hugh Alexander Dunn AO (20 August 1923 – 5 November 2005) was a career Australian diplomat known for his knowledge of China; namely Taiwan (1969–1972) and of the People’s Republic of China (1980–1984).

Dunn was born in Rockhampton, Queensland on 20 August 1923. After completing school at Brisbane Boys’ College, he enlisted in the A.I.F., trained in Signals Intelligence and moved with MacArthur’s troops through New Guinea and then to the Philippines where the Japanese surrender took place. Returning to Australia after the War, he studied at the University of Queensland. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where he studied classical Chinese language, history and philosophy.