Dr Robert Wensley was a distinguished barrister and university administrator. Born in Toowoomba in 1945, he was schooled at Penrith High School and in London at Battersea Grammar School, before studying a Bachelor of Engineering at UQ.
After several years in the workforce, including four years as personal assistant to then-UQ Vice-Chancellor, Sir Zelman Cowen, Dr Wensley completed a Master of Engineering Science and Bachelor of Laws.
In 1976, Dr Wensley was admitted to the Bar, and in 1993 he was appointed Queen’s Counsel. He was a member of Queensland’s Criminal Justice Commission Misconduct Tribunal from 1990-1993, acting judge of the District Court of Queensland in 1998, and chairperson of the Queensland Building Tribunal from 2000-2001.
Dr Wensley also remained heavily involved with UQ, serving on the Senate from 1978 to 2009, with a short break in service in 1987. In 1999, Dr Wensley became an Adjunct Professor of Law and Deputy Chancellor – a role in which he served until 2005. The University awarded him with a Doctor of Laws honoris causa in 2005. Dr Wensley passed away in 2015.