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UID:15f57e2f-f194-4422-8744-7b0b44d5e307@360exp.net
SEQUENCE:29826792
DTSTAMP:20260928T194425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260917T011242Z
DTSTART:20261028T070000Z
DTEND:20261028T070000Z
SUMMARY:Lex Bartlem - A Diplomatic Odyssey
LOCATION:Upstairs at Gleebooks
DESCRIPTION:6pm for 6.30pm Wednesday 28th October\n\nLex Bartlem in convers
 ation with Bob Carr\n\nA Diplomatic Odyssey traces the unlikely journey of
  a young man from Rockhampton who left school at sixteen and went on to be
 come Australia’s Ambassador to Lebanon. Set against a backdrop of politi
 cal upheaval\, cultural change and personal transformation\, it combines a
  deeply human story with a rare insider’s view of life in the Australian
  diplomatic service.\n\nAfter studying shorthand and typing at school and 
 taking a clerical job at the local abattoir\, a backpacking trip through E
 urope broadened Lex Bartlem’s horizons. Encouraged by his sister\, who c
 lipped out an advertisement for the Department of Foreign Affairs\, he pas
 sed the typing and shorthand tests and embarked on a career that would spa
 n thirty-five years and take him across the Middle East\, Europe\, Asia an
 d South America.\n\nAlong the way\, he served in some of the world’s mos
 t challenging environments. His experiences included Lebanon during the ci
 vil war and the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel conflict\, Australia’s response to
  the Bali bombings\, and Iraq in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion. They 
 reveal a world of diplomacy far removed from cocktail parties and clichés
  — one marked by danger and uncertainty\, but also humour\, friendship a
 nd unexpected human connections.\n\nLebanon became an enduring thread thro
 ugh his life. Having served there as a young diplomat in the early 1980s\,
  he returned almost three decades later as Australia’s ambassador.\n\nUl
 timately\, A Diplomatic Odyssey is a story about possibility — how a you
 ng school leaver armed with a shorthand certificate\, curiosity and determ
 ination came to represent his country on some of the world’s most comple
 x stages.\n\n“His office-boy to ambassador story – experiencing along 
 the way far more than his fair share of dramas around the world – is a g
 reat one. Very well-written\, and worth reading\, certainly by any aspirin
 g diplomat.” - Professor the Honourable Gareth Evans - Australian Foreig
 n Minister 1988-1996\n\n\nFor more than three decades\, Lex Bartlem worked
  with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in some of the world’s
  most complex and challenging environments. From his beginnings in regiona
 l Queensland and an entry-level role in the department’s typing pool\, h
 e rose through the ranks to serve in postings across the Middle East\, Eur
 ope\, Asia and Latin America\, including as Australia’s ambassador to Le
 banon. His work placed him at the centre of major international events\, f
 rom conflict zones in Beirut and Baghdad to crisis response following the 
 Bali bombings.\n\nBob Carr is the longest continuously serving Premier in 
 the history of New South Wales. Bob entered the Senate in 2012 and served 
 as Australia’s Foreign Minister for 18 months. Since leaving politics Bo
 b has led a distinguished career as a defacto diplomat\, author and academ
 ic. Bob received the Fulbright Distinguished Fellow Award Scholarship. He 
 has served as Honorary Scholar of the Australian American Leadership Dialo
 gue. He is the author of: My Reading Life (2008)\, Thoughtlines (2002) and
  Diary of a Foreign Minister (2014)\, his political memoir Run for Your Li
 fe (2018) and Bring Back Yesterday (2026).\n\nBoletos: https://www.trybook
 ing.com/events/landing/1651719
URL;VALUE=URI:https://360exp.net/events/15f57e2f-f194-4422-8744-7b0b44d5e30
 7
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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