Former Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, AO(Mil), CVO, MC (Retd) has confirmed that he will continue as a Patron of the PNGAA.

A few months ago, indeed on the day before his term as Governor-General ended and as he was putting the finishing touches on the move from Government House in Canberra, I spoke with Major General Jeffery about this and he modestly wondered whether this would still be an appropriate appointment given that his vice-regal role was over.

I assured him that there was much enthusiasm for his continuation as Patron and he expressed a desire to become more involved in Association affairs than he’d been able to as Governor-General. He also voiced his approval of mooted changes to the PNGAA Constitution, referring to them as “excellent”.

Major General Jeffery also believes that the PNGAA should be taking a more active role in building the relationship with PNG and says he's willing to work in any way he can to assist this goal.

Genera! Jeffery was born in Wiluna, Western Australia in 1937 and attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon. As an Infantry officer he served operationally in Malaya, Borneo, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam, where he was awarded the Military Cross and the South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

He retired in 1993 to become Governor of Western Australia, an appointment he held for almost seven years. On his retirement in 2000 he established Future Directions International, a not for profit research institute in Perth whose object is to examine longer term issues facing Australia.

On 11 August 2003 he was sworn in as the twenty-fourth Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, serving in that capacity until 5 September 2008. Since his retirement, he has accepted Chairmanships of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Future Directions International and Outcomes Australia, along with patronages of a number of other not-for-profit organisations including the PNGAA.

Major General Jeffery is a Companion of the Order of Logohu (PNG), a Knight of St John, a Citizen of Western Australia, a Paul Haines Fellow and an honorary life member of the Returned and Services League.

He and his wife Marlena have four children and seven grandchildren. General Jeffery enjoys golf, cricket, fishing, reading and music.