Ian Kemish

speaker

328 appearances 2 recordings 1 series first heard Apr 2026 last heard 20 Apr

Ian Kemish’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Apr 2026 with 2.

Appearances

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The Book Show · Steve Toltz rolls the dice in his new dark comedy · 20 Apr 2026 podcast

I've got an idea for the next one.

I haven't quite got going yet, but I've got an idea.

So nice to talk.

Thanks so much.

The Book Show · Steve Toltz rolls the dice · 20 Apr 2026 podcast

Great to be with you.

I think you could divide it up pretty evenly between Australia's immediate neighbourhood, the Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

So, you know, my head of mission jobs were variously in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where I was High Commissioner.

And Germany, where I was ambassador, I was also accredited there into Switzerland and other places.

But, you know, before I became an ambassador, I was posted variously in Southeast Asia, again in Europe, and I had this job that you just mentioned in your intro.

formally attached to the embassy in Vienna in the 1990s, and that's where my family lived, it's where the house was.

But my job was very much focused on the western half, if you like, of former Yugoslavia, by which I mean Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia.

And it was a time of extraordinary events.

It was a time that in some ways we seem to have, or many of us, seem to have forgotten a little bit about.

And, you know, it was an important time in my life.

Met a lot of really inspiring people, saw some pretty difficult things, and it lingered with me.

Well, to begin with, I was the eyes and ears of the Australian government at a time when there was actually quite a lot of focus on that region.

The conflict was very much underway.

Efforts were being made by the international community to bring about an end to the awful killing and the slaughter that had been taking place through the early 90s in Bosnia in particular, but also Croatia.

It was a time when the Australian government probably had more skin in the game than most people might appreciate.

You know, we Australians were welcoming as by far the most significant government

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