EMBARGO NOT TO BE RELEASED OR CABLED ABROAD BEFORE 10 PM ( EST)
TUESDAY, 14th DECEMBER, 1965.
FOR PRESS P. M. No. 95/ 1965
APPOINTMENT OF SIR MACFARLANE BURiET AS CHAIRMAN
UF ' THE COGUMMUMNEALT'H FUUNDA'I-U
Statement by the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies
A statement is being released in London tonight
concerning the Commonwealth Foundation. Commonwealth Governments
have appointed Sir IvMacfarlane Burnet, to be the first
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The
statement is as follows
" At their 1965 meeting, the Commonwealth Prime
Ministers approved proposals for the establishment of a
Commonwealth Foundation.
The Foundation is to administer a fund for
increasing interchanges between Commonwealth oranisations
in professional fields throughout the Commonwealth.
The Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations,
Commonwealth High Commissioners in London and the
Commonwealth Secretary-General held a meeting at the
Commonwealth Relations Office on 9 December in order to
consider aopointments and other preliminary measures
necessary to the establishment of the Foundation.
Commonwealth Governments have agreed that Sir
Macfarlane Burnet F. S SC. D. F. R. C. P.,
shall be the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
This is an honorary appointment.
It was also agreed that Mr. G. V. St. J. Chadwick,
C. M. G. should be the first Director.
Sir Macfarlane Burnet is one of the most
distinguished of living Australians.
He is a world figure in the treatment of virus
diseases and a winner ( jointly with Professor Sir Peter
Medawar of London) of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1960.
He retired this year from the Directorship of the
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Prefessorship of
Experimental Medicine in the University of Melbourne, pcsts
which he held from 1944.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, President of
the Australian Academy of Science, a member of the Medical
Research Advisory Committee of the World Health Organisation,
a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and
a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences.
He was knighted in 1951, and awarded the Order of
Merit in 1958.
Mr. G. U. St. J. Chadwick is an Assistant Under-
Secretary of State at the Commonwealth Relations Office. / 2
-2
He has served in London Ottawa and Paris and is at
present concerned with Lfrican affairs.
He has also made a special study of the professional
links in the Commonwealth.
He is being seconded to the Foundation for ani
initial period of two years.
During this period he will be a servant,' not of the
British Government, but of the Foundation and the
Commonwealth as a whole.
A Board of Trustees is being established by
Commonwealth Goverments.
Details of this will be announced later.
It will now be for the Chairman the Board of
Trustees and the Director to consider together the
detailed arrangements for the setting up of the
Foundation." I am delighted about this appointment which is a great
honour for Australia. The Commonwealth Foundation is one of
the new initiatives in Commonwealth co-operation which has
been agreed on by Commonwealth countries. There are already
a number of useful interchanges between professional orgaisations
in the Commonwealth and it has been demonstrated that these are
an effective way of sharing knowledge and achieving ag-reement and
co-operation. The Foundat--on will serve a useful and important
purpose in furthering these interchanges.
The Foundation will have a permanent Director in
London who is to be Mr. St. J Chadwick formerly of the
Commonwealth Relations Office. Sir Macfarlane as Chairman,
will be required to attend meetings periodically in London.
There will also be a Board of Trustees and Australia?' s representative
on the Board will be the Australian High Commissioner in
London, Sir Alexander Downer.
On behalf of the Commonwealth Government and all
Australians I wish Sir Macfarlane great success in his chairmanship
of this new enterprise.
CANBERRA, 14th December, 1965.