Peter Dunstan Hastings
Peter Dunstan Hastings (1920–1990) was an Australian journalist and editor. He was editor of Consolidated Press's Bulletin (1962–64), and foreign affairs writer for News Ltd's Australian (1966–70) and John Fairfax & Sons Ltd's Sydney Morning Herald (1970–74, 1976–90). As a journalist specializing in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, Hastings became a respected figure in both of these countries, despite being banned from Indonesia on two occasions. He also enjoyed good relationships with embassies and Australian Government officials in Canberra. Life and career Hastings was born on 1 October 1920 at Wahroonga in Sydney. He attended Sydney Grammar School and matriculated in 1941, before attending the University of Sydney without graduating. In May 1941 he enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces and in 1942 transferred to the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) As a sergeant in intelligence, he served with the Central Bureau, a code-breaking signals unit and with the Far Eastern Liaison Office. On 3 July 1944 he was discharged from the AIF as medically unfit. After the War, Hastings realised an aptitude for journalism by joining Consolidated Press Ltd. He was posted to New York City in 1948. For the next six years, Hasting provided daily dispatches to the Daily