Alan Silvius Reiher (13 June 1927 – 3 August 2003) was a senior Australian public servant, best known for his time as Director-General of Works in the Australian Government bureaucracy and for heading government transport agencies in New South Wales and Victoria.

Alan Reiher
Director-General of the Department of Works
In office
29 August 1967 – 30 November 1973
Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction
In office
30 November 1973 – 22 December 1975
Secretary of the Department of Construction
In office
22 December 1975 – 20 April 1976
Personal details
Born
Alan Silvius Reiher

(1927-06-13)13 June 1927
Melbourne, Victoria
Died3 August 2003(2003-08-03) (aged 76)
Queensland
Resting placeNorth Tamborine Cemetery, Queensland[1]
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
OccupationPublic servant

Life and career

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Alan Reiher was born in Melbourne on 13 June 1927 to Silvius Thomas Reiher and Agnes Marion Reiher.[2]

Having graduated from the University of Melbourne with a civil engineering degree, Reiher commenced his Australian Public Service career in 1957 as an Engineer in the Department of Works.[2] He spent a year at the Harvard Business School soon before being appointed Director-General of the department in 1967.[3]

In 1975 while Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction, Reiher was appointed as a member of the Darwin Reconstruction Authority in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy.[4]

He was appointed the Chief Commissioner of the New South Wales Public Transport Commission in March 1976 succeeding Philip Shirley.[5][6][7] The appointment was in the last weeks of the Wills Government, and the Labor Party opposed his appointment, which was for seven years.[8]

After being placed on fully paid leave by Minister for Transport Peter Cox, who claimed Reiher had caused him embarrassment by failing to inform him of an agreement with the unions in March 1980, Reiher resigned.[9][10]

In 1980 he was appointed Chairman of the Victorian Railways Board, and in 1982 he became Director-General of Transport for Victoria.[2][11]

Beginning in 1986 for five years, Reiher was Victoria's Commissioner in North America.[12] Reiher died on 3 August 2003.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Alan Silvius Reiher, Billion Graves, archived from the original on 26 September 2014
  2. ^ a b c REIHER Alan Silvius, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, archived from the original on 28 October 2007
  3. ^ Juddery, Bruce (11 November 1970). "The public servant to watch". The Canberra Times. p. 20.
  4. ^ "Reconstruction body members named". The Canberra Times. 6 March 1975. p. 12.
  5. ^ "Top transport post". The Canberra Times. 26 March 1976. p. 3.
  6. ^ New Chief Commissioner Electric Traction April 1976 page 59
  7. ^ New Chief Commissioner has Distinguished Record Transport News May 1976 page 1
  8. ^ "Exit Mr Reiher". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 November 1979. p. 4.
  9. ^ PTC chief to take further paid leave Truck & Bus Transportation March 1980 page 110
  10. ^ "Top NSW transport man quits". The Canberra Times. 21 March 1980. p. 7.
  11. ^ Transport People Truck & Bus Transportation November 1982 page 110
  12. ^ Burgess, Verona (18 October 1992). "It's thumbs down for unfortunate GMORA". The Canberra Times. p. 9.
  13. ^ "Alan Reiher Dies". Newsrail. Vol. 31, no. 10. Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. October 2003. p. 298. ISSN 0310-7477. OCLC 19676396.
Government offices
Preceded by Director-General of the Department of Works
1967 – 1973
Succeeded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction
Preceded byas Secretary of the Department of Housing Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction
1973 – 1975
Succeeded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Construction
Preceded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Works
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development
Preceded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Construction
Secretary of the Department of Construction
1975 – 1976
Succeeded by