John M. Allgrove was born in Johore, across the Causeway from Singapore, where his father managed a rubber plantation. The war had tragic circumstances for John's family. His mother died at the fall of Singapore, and his father, as a POW, was one of the many who built the bridge over the River Kwai. His education was completed in Adelaide and at Reading University in the United Kingdom.
After joining the Australian Trade Commission Service in 1962, he was first posted in Calcutta. Then followed the largest series of overseas postings of any Trade Commissioner on record. His final position was Executive General Manager of South-East Asia, based in Singapore.
In June 2001, John was awarded an Institute of Public Administration Australia medal, on the occasion of the Centenary of the Australian Public Service, as having made a superior contribution to the Australian Public Service. (Ralph Evans, former Managing Director, Austrade)
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'This lively record … gives the acute insights and opinions to be expected from someone who has been able to immerse himself in diverse countries. There are funny moments too, such as a red-faced encounter with the reliably impatient Duke of Edinburgh at an official do in Thailand and Allgrove being co-opted to judge a belly-dancing contest in Tangier.' - Susan Kurosawa, The Weekend Australian