Louis John Wienholt (1918–1973) was a senior Australian public servant, including as Secretary of the Department of Social Security in 1973.

Louis Wienholt
Secretary of the Department of Social Security
In office
9 January 1973 – 26 July 1973
Personal details
Born
Louis John Wienholt

1918
Died1973
NationalityAustralia Australian
Spouse
Hilda Hamilton
(m. 1946; died 1949)
[1][2]
OccupationPublic servant

Life and career

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Wienholt was born in 1918.[3] He was a Queenslander who went into practice with his wife, Hilda Wienholt in Red Hill, Queensland. Hilda died suddenly on 14 September 1944; the couple had a child aged just 11 months at the time of Hilda's death.[4] The doctors who performed Hilda's autopsy were unable to determine the cause of her death.[5][6]

Wienholt began his Australian Public Service career in 1950.[7] He was promoted to Senior Medical Officer, grade 2, third division in 1957.[8]

Between 1968 and 1973 he was a Deputy Director-General at the Department of Health.[3] In January 1973 he was appointed Director-General of the Department of Social Security.[3] During his time as head of social security, Wienholt organized for his desk clerks to attend two-week courses in the slums of Melbourne and Sydney to "sensitise" them to the problems of departmental clients.[9]

Wienholt retired due to ill health early into his term at the Department of Social Security,[10] he had suffered a heart attack in April 1973.[11] He died later that year.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Family notices: Marriages". Sunday Mail. Brisbane, QLD. 8 September 1946. p. 11.
  2. ^ "Woman Doctor Died Suddenly". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. NSW. 22 September 1949. p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d Scotton, R.B.; Macdonald, C.R. (October 1995), Research Report 5: Medibank Sources- Unpublished documents relating to the establishment of national helath [sic.] insurance in Australia (PDF), Centre for Health Program Evaluation, ISBN 1875677593, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2012
  4. ^ "No doubts on death". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, QLD. 22 September 1949. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Death of Woman Doctor: Mysterious Circumstances: A negative autopsy". Geraldton Guardian. WA. 22 September 1949. p. 5.
  6. ^ "Mystery in death of young woman doctor". Brisbane Telegraph. QLD. 21 September 1949. p. 1.
  7. ^ Juddery, Bruce (10 January 1973). "Nine Secretaries named". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
  8. ^ "Dr. Wienholt promoted". The Canberra Times. ACT. 1 March 1957. p. 3.
  9. ^ Mendes, Philip (7 May 2012), Labor's abandonment of equity, Australian Broadcasting Commission, archived from the original on 2 May 2013
  10. ^ Davidson, Gay (24 July 1973), "Two new Heads soon", The Canberra Times, p. 1
  11. ^ Juddery, Bruce (10 April 1973). "Two suffer heart attacks". The Canberra Times. p. 8.
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Social Security
1973
Succeeded by