Dame Quentin Bryce is a former Governor-General of Australia and a community and human rights advocate.
Born in Brisbane in 1942, Dame Quentin completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws at UQ, and was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1965. She lectured and tutored Law at UQ from 1968 until 1983, and joined the National Women’s Advisory Council as convener in 1982.
She continued to take on appointments to senior positions in service of the community in the years following, including the first director for the Queensland Women’s Information Service, the director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) Queensland, and commissioner for the Federal Sex Discrimination Commission.
In 2003, Dame Quentin was appointed Governor of Queensland, and in 2008, she became the first woman appointed as Governor-General of Australia. She remained in the role until 2014.
Throughout her career Dame Quentin has been recognised for her service with a number of accolades, including a Doctor of Laws honoris causa from UQ in 2006. In 2003 she was named a Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. She was named a Dame in the Order of Australia in 2014.
