Biography - The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO
The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO
BA. LLB (Qld). Hon LLD (Macquarie). Hon DLitt (Charles Sturt). Hon DUniv (Griffith). Hon DU (QUT). Hon LLD (Qld). Hon DUniv (JCU). Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) (Syd). Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) (UWS). Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) University of Melbourne
Quentin Bryce was born in Brisbane in 1942 and spent her early years in Ilfracombe, a small town in Central Western Queensland. In 1965, she graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from The University of Queensland and, in the same year, was admitted to the Queensland Bar. She has since enjoyed a rich and distinguished career as an academic, lawyer, community and human rights advocate, senior public officer, university college principal, and vice-regal representative in Queensland, and now Australia.
Ms Bryce’s former roles – some, among firsts for women in this country – include:
• Lecturer and Tutor in Law, The University of Queensland, 1968-1983
• Convenor, National Women’s Advisory Council, 1982-1984
• Inaugural Director, Queensland Women’s Information Service, Office of the Status of Women, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1984-1987
• Director, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Queensland, 1987-1988
• Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1988-1993
• founding Chair and CEO, National Childcare Accreditation Council, 1993-1996
• Principal and CEO, The Women's College, University of Sydney, 1997-2003
• Governor of Queensland, 2003-2008
Quentin Bryce’s contribution to advancing human rights and equality, the rights of women and children, and the welfare of the family was recognised in her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2003. Also in 2003, she was invested as a Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. On 25 March 2014, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that Ms Bryce had become a Dame in the Order of Australia.
Ms Bryce was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Macquarie University (New South Wales) in 1998, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Charles Sturt University (New South Wales) in 2002, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by The University of Queensland in 2006.
She was conferred with the degrees of Honorary Doctor of the University by Griffith University (Queensland) in 2003, Queensland University of Technology in 2004 and an Honorary Doctorate from James Cook University in 2008.
In 2010 Ms Bryce received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Sydney University, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters, University of Western Sydney in 2012. In 2013 she was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Melbourne University.
In her civic role as Governor of Queensland, Ms Bryce continued her work with women, families and young people while extending her influence across the State’s broad and diverse spectrum, including the rural, regional, aged, indigenous, migrant, and disability sectors.
As a mother and grandmother, Ms Bryce is a role model and mentor to women at every stage of their lives. She values and encourages women’s capacity to form strong and enduring bonds of friendship, intellectual and emotional enrichment, and mutual support in their roles within the family, workplace and community.
On 5 September 2008 Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia’s twenty-fifth Governor-General. As the first woman to take up the office, she remains a pioneer in contemporary Australian society, and yet one who brings more than forty years of experience in reform, community building and leadership to the role.
Quentin Bryce and her husband, Michael, were married in 1964.
Michael Bryce AM AE KStJ
B Arch (Qld) Hon. DUniv (Canb and Qld) LFRAIA LFDIA
Adjunct Professor
21 June 1938 – 15 January 2021
Michael Bryce was an architect and designer acknowledged in Australia and overseas for his distinguished work in graphic, urban and environmental design.
He was born in Brisbane, started school in Gordonvale and was educated at Brisbane State High School and the University of Queensland. In 1968, he commenced his own architecture practice in Brisbane, developing a special interest in graphic design. From 1979 to 1983, he was Federal President of the Industrial Design Institute of Australia. He was also a member of the Design Board and the Design Council. His practice won awards for graphic and environmental design, including the RAIA (Qld) Civic Design Award, the House of the Year Award, and the RAIA President’s Award. The practice also received many citations in the print industry and Design Institute awards.
In 1988, his practice joined the worldwide Minale Tattersfield Design Strategy Group with offices in London and Paris and clients worldwide including Harrods, San Pellegrino, FA Premier League, BNP, and the Eurostar train.
Beginning in 1992, Michael Bryce became the principal design adviser to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, designing the Olympic bid logo and advising on the application of the corporate branding. His sport-related design work also included graphics for the Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games and Expos ‘85 and ‘88. His sports logos included the Australian 1996 Commonwealth Games team, the Dolphins Australian Swimming team, the Wallabies Rugby team, and the world cricket body, the ICC.
He was a board member of the Queensland (Symphony) Orchestra and Trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery, a Ministerial Adviser on the Child Accident Prevention Foundation and various product safety committees. He was Founding President of Melanoma Patients Australia. He was also a volunteer with the State Emergency Service in Queensland.
Following 5 years in the Air Training Corps he served as an Intelligence Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve from 1956 to 1970, including appointment as honorary Aide de Camp to the Governor of Queensland. He was awarded the Air Efficiency Award (AE) in 1970. He was patron of the RAAF Association in Queensland for some years and patron of the Combat Support Group Association.
Mr Bryce was patron of a number of community organisations and other arts related bodies. He served as President of St John Ambulance [Qld] First Aid Services Division and was made a Knight of Justice in the Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ). In 2006, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the design profession and the community.
He had a long association with universities around Australia. He taught and mentored young graduates and was committed to the expression of a distinctive Australian identity within an international framework. He was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the Universities of Queensland and Canberra and was Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Design at the University of Canberra.
Michael Bryce was awarded Life Fellowships of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the Design Institute of Australia and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He was described by Indesign Magazine as a design “luminary” and a design “catalyst”. In 2006, he was inducted into the Australian Design Hall of Fame. In September 2008 he retired from his practice upon the appointment of Ms Bryce as Governor-General of Australia.
Michael and Quentin Bryce were married in 1964.