Born in Orange on 20 February 1926, Colin George Plowman worked in various clerical positions for the Bank of New South Wales in his late teens (1942 - 1946), as well as serving in the RAAF, and studied Economics at the University of Sydney (BA, 1947 - 1949). Upon graduation, Plowman worked at the Joint Coal Board (1950 - 1954), before joining the registrar's staff at the University of Sydney in 1955. In 1956 he took up the post of Assistant Registrar at the University of Western Australia and then applied for the post of Assistant Registrar at Canberra University College (CUC) in 1958. As the succesful applicant, he started there in 1959, becoming the Assistant Registrar of the School of General Studies, as CUC became when it was incorporated into ANU, in 1960. He went on to be the acting Registrar and then Academic Registrar in March 1968. Between 1974 and 1976 Plowman was Registrar at University of New South Wales, returning to ANU in 1976 as Assistant Vice-Chancellor. In 1977 he was appointed on to the Management Committee of the Edith and Joy London Foundation Kioloa Field Station. He retired in 1991. A range of issues were addressed by Plowman during his tenure, including student accommodation, ancillary activities, cultural and sporting activities, equal opportunities, parking and the ANU women's room. He returned as a visiting fellow to the Centre of Continuing Education in 1992 and was part of setting up the Emeritus Faculty at ANU in the late 1990s. Positions he held beyond his university service were joint convenor of the first Universities Administration Course (1968), President of the Graduate Careers Council of Australia (1973), consultant to Chair of the Australian Council (1974) and Chair of the Council for the College for Seniors (1975). He was also involved with the Australian Council of the Arts including a secondment to that Council for the first quarter of 1974.