'Born into colonial wealth and privilege, Sir Keith Officer (1889-1969) was the archetypal Anglo-Australian. Officer served with distinction in the Great War and in British Nigeria before making a significant contribution to Australian conservative politics in the late 1920s.

'On joining the fledgling foreign service, he was Australia's first diplomat, and became his country's most senior representative overseas. For thirty years, at hardship posts and in the gilded salons of the northern hemisphere, the impeccably connected Officer sought to advance Australia's international interests with equal skill and dedication. Urbane, puckish and gregarious, Officer loved pomp and ceremony, yet remained a disciplined, ascetic bachelor, addicted to exercise and cold showers, happiest on his yacht or tramping unshaven through the bush.

'Officer's life and career, from Gallipoli to the Cold War, epitomised the Westminster tradition of apolitical public service, and served as a model for the first generation of Australian diplomats.' (Melbourne University Press website)