Goodes was born in England, migrating to Australia in the 1920s and reaching Western Australia where he took on casual work, including digging dams and fencing. In the 1930s, Goodes enrolled to study part-time at the
University of Western Australia, graduating with honours in economics. Between 1958 and 1965, Goodes was the
Secretary of the
Department of Social Services. Upon his retirement from the Social Services Department, Goodes was appointed a member of the Commonwealth Grants Commission. Goodes died on 12 July 1986. ==Awards==