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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

8th August 2014

Australia mourns MH17 victims

St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne
St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne

The official memorial service for the Australian victims of the Malaysian Airlines tragedy took place at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne yesterday. I sat with the Dutch and Malaysian ambassadors as we mourned this senseless loss of life.

Australian leaders turned out in force to demonstrate the whole country’s support for the bereaved families. The Governor General, Prime Minister and state governors and premiers were present.

There were poignant reflections and readings by religious and political leaders. But the most eloquent expression of grief came from the families. They didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. The pain, the sorrow, the love and support for each other was etched on their faces as they came up one by one to place sprigs of wattle on the wreath. With 38 victims from Australia, there seemed to be an endless river of grief flowing up the aisle. There were not many dry eyes in the packed Cathedral.

The Australian and Dutch governments have worked tirelessly, with great dedication, to secure access to the crash site and bring home the bodies of the victims. Our teams in Kiev and New York have supported them in every way we could.

It was a national day of mourning and Australian flags all around the country hung at half mast as a sign of respect. At our High Commission and Consulates, the Union Jack joined them.

Flag at half-mast atop the British High Commission, Canberra to mark the national day of mourning for Flight MH17
Flag at half-mast atop the British High Commission, Canberra to mark the national day of mourning for Flight MH17

1 comment on “Australia mourns MH17 victims

  1. Dear Excellence Mr. Paul Madden,

    as someone of which a former ex-flight attendant colleague was also on board of MH 17 , pls. allow me tond my deepest condolences to all relatives , families, & friends of the victims. Guess not only Australia is mourning. I ´m convienced that millions of people ´cross the world will do so too. And it will not end after August 8th, ´14.

    Best wishes,
    ingo-Steven , Stuttgart

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About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.