Victoria_Owen

Victoria Owen

Victoria Owen

Australian public servant and diplomat

Victoria Mary Owen (1949–2008) was an Australian public servant and diplomat.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Owen joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1972. Her early postings were to Greece and Amman. While her then husband Donald Kingsmill was ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1976–1979), Owen learned Arabic. In the period, she also gave birth to two daughters, Katharine Mary in September 1976 and Alexandra in July 1978.[1][2] A third child followed, a son James, in 1984.[3]

She moved into her first ambassadorial role in 1990, as Australian Ambassador to Syria, with non-resident accreditation to Lebanon, living in Damascus until 1992.[4] She served a second time as an ambassador from 1998 to 2002, this time as Ambassador to Egypt, with non-resident accreditation to Sudan and Algeria.[5][6] Whilst living in Egypt she was one of only five women ambassadors from 140 embassies in Cairo.[7]

Owen died in 2008 after a battle against cancer.[8]

In 2010 Victoria Owen Circuit, in the Canberra suburb of Casey, was named in her honour.[9][10]

References

  1. [1]
    "Births: KINGSMILL", The Canberra Times, p. 21, 25 September 1976
  2. [2]
    "Births: KINGSMILL", The Canberra Times, p. 17, 12 August 1978
  3. [3]
    "Births: KINGSMILL", The Canberra Times, p. 28, 3 May 1984
  4. [4]
    "Appointments". The Canberra Times. 27 February 1990. p. 5.
  5. [5]
    Downer, Alexander (2 February 1998). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Egypt" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  6. [6]
    Dee, Moreen; Volk, Felicty, eds. (2007), Women with a Mission: personal perspectives, ISBN 9781921244261
  7. [7]
    "Victoria Owen". Herald Sun. 31 March 2001. p. 5.
  8. [8]
    "An old school diplomat". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. 5 September 2008. p. 12.
  9. [9]
    Public Place Names (Casey) Determination 2010 (No 2) (PDF), ACT Parliamentary Counsel, p. 3, archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2011
  10. [10]
    "Search for street and suburb names: Victoria Owen Circuit", Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate - Planning, ACT Government, archived from the original on 17 November 2016
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