Passionate about psychology as a scientific discipline
By Wal Hall and Ian Johnston
ALBERT GEORGE OWENS August 8, 1926-May 28, 2023
Colonel (retired) Albert George Owens, a former director of the Australian Army Psychology Corps, was the embodiment of an officer, a scholar and a gentleman.
While his father, George “Staunch” Owens, was Perth’s most celebrated footballer of the 1920s, it was clear that his son George’s interests were more academic than physical.
George’s academic prowess was recognised early when he was selected to attend Perth Modern School, then the University of Western Australia to study zoology. However, once there, he developed a greater interest in the relatively new science of psychology and that is where he stayed.
World War II was a watershed for the emerging profession of psychology in Australia. During the war and its aftermath, a small band of psychology graduates demonstrated the value of their professional expertise to the war effort and to the post-war reconstruction training of veterans.
George, then 20, was recruited directly from the University of Western Australian into the Australian Army by Ted Campbell, who was working to set up the new Army Psychology Service.
Ted Campbell’s confidence in the young George Owens was not misplaced. Early in his career George was posted to Japan, to “assist with recruiting” for the Commonwealth Occupation Forces. While there, he also spent time in Korea providing support to the allied forces during that war.
He later served with great distinction during the Vietnam War as an in-country adviser to the government of Thailand and, by extension, that country’s Western allies.
George Owens.
These early career experiences laid the foundation for George’s lifelong fascination for working in and with other cultures. After retiring from the army, George followed his interest in all things Thai, pursuing a university degree in the Thai language and culture.
The pinnacle of George’s long and distinguished military career was his appointment as director of the Australian Army Psychology Corps in 1976.
This position gave him unfettered access to the senior military leaders, and they routinely sought his advice on all manner of things. Without fail, George’s introduction was “my analysis of the research data shows that…” For George, measurement always took precedence over opinion.
In the 1960s, George became interested in the selection and assessment of personnel for service in Antarctica, and the need for greater care when selecting personnel to work in harsh and isolated conditions.
Through his links with British, American and Canadian researchers, George knew work was already being done in those countries, and when the Australian Antarctic Division asked the Army for assistance, it was to George they turned. It became one of his abiding interests and resulted in several scholarly works including the publication of his work in a master’s thesis The Performance and Selection of Men in Small Antarctic Groups.
George’s approach to the issue drew attention from across the world. After meeting George and reading his scientific reports, the renowned British Antarctic explorer Sir Vivian Fuchs wrote that he had “never seen a more clear-eyed view of the issues involved with selecting and supporting personnel for Antarctic service”.
For several decades after that the Australian Army Psychology Corps assisted the Antarctic Division with selection, performance assessments and the debriefing of personnel on return to Australia.
George’s contributions to the psychological profession ranged far beyond the confines of Australian Defence headquarters in Canberra. He was a key member of the executive of the Technical Co-operation Program, or TTCP, a collaborative, five-nation, research exchange program between the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
In this role, he was able to introduce to the Australian Army cutting-edge ideas including the development of computer adaptive psychological testing that used the predictive power of computer algorithms to more quickly and accurately determine a person’s ability level when compared with pencil and paper tests.
When George retired from active military duty after 36 years in uniform (well, mostly in a civilian suit) he was the longest-serving officer in the Australian Army.
George was not only passionate about psychology as a scientific discipline, he was also committed to psychology being formally recognised as a profession and its practise being regulated with appropriate legislation.
To these ends, he devoted a lifetime of service to the peak professional bodies in the country, firstly the British Psychological Society and, on its inception, the Australian Psychological Society. He was a foundation member of the APS; a member of the society’s first council; a fellow of the society; and a life member of the society. In 1976-77 George served as the APS national president.
Away from psychology, George had several passions which he pursued with vigour, including golf, Asian culture and languages, philosophy, music, particularly opera and Wagner’s Ring Cycle, fine wines and single-malt Scotch whisky.
Although a very even-tempered person to work with, George’s equanimity did not accompany him on the golf course. He would become increasingly infuriated that someone who was enormously gifted in so many spheres, had no competence in the seemingly simple task of hitting a small, stationary white ball into a hole in the ground.
George Owens has left an enormous legacy for the profession of psychology both nationally and internationally. During his full and fruitful life, he touched the lives and hearts of many people and made a truly positive contribution to a better world.
He is survived by his widow, Johanna, his children, Terry, Janet and Sarahlouise, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Wal Hall and Ian Johnston are former directors of the Australian Army Psychology Corps.