27 Facts About Quentin Bryce

Quentin Bryce is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the 24th Governor of Queensland from 2003 to 2008.

Quentin Bryce attended the University of Queensland, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, becoming one of the first women accepted to the Queensland Bar.

In 1968, Quentin Bryce became the first woman appointed as a faculty member of the law school where she had studied, and in 1978 she joined the new National Women's Advisory Council.

However, on 13 April 2008, it was announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that Quentin Bryce was to become the next Governor-General of Australia.

The decision was generally well-received and on 5 September 2008 Quentin Bryce was sworn in, succeeding Major General Michael Jeffery and becoming the first woman to hold the office.

Quentin Bryce was succeeded by General Sir Peter Cosgrove as governor-general on 28 March 2014.

Quentin Bryce Alice Louise Strachan was born in 1942 in Brisbane, the second of four daughters.

Quentin Bryce's family left the area in 1949, initially relocating to Launceston, Tasmania, where they remained for approximately a year.

Quentin Bryce was a member of Girl Guides Australia as a Brownie.

In 1956, Quentin Bryce Strachan started attending boarding school at Moreton Bay College, Wynnum, Brisbane.

Quentin Bryce graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts in 1962 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1965.

Michael Quentin Bryce died on 15 January 2021, aged 82 years.

In 1978 the Fraser government formed the National Women's Advisory Council and Quentin Bryce was "vaulted to prominence" with her appointment to the council, taking on the role of convener in 1982.

Quentin Bryce's time in the role was a busy one, with around 2,000 complaints being handled by the commission each year and the work difficult and complex.

The period was noted as being one of "galloping legal reform" for the rights of women, yet, as Sandra McLean described it, Quentin Bryce kept a firm grip on the "reins of change" during this time.

The move was said to have "stunned her political and legal acquaintances", but Quentin Bryce saw it as bringing "together all the life skills and attributes" that she had acquired, as well as providing an opportunity to have an influence on the students' futures.

In other roles, Quentin Bryce has been the chair of the National Breast Cancer Advisory Council and sat on the Australian Women's Cricket Board, and has been a member of organisations such as the YWCA, the Australian Children's Television Foundation and the Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital.

Quentin Bryce was a US State Department Visitor in 1978 and a Member of the Australian Delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland from 1989 to 1991.

Concerns raised in the media included the "substantial" exit of staff at Government House not long after Quentin Bryce became governor, as at least eight staff, including the executive office, head chef, house manager and gardener resigned or were fired during her term, and the use of Government House for private parties.

Concerns were raised in August 2008, when it was revealed that Quentin Bryce intended to replace Malcolm Hazell, who had been the Official Secretary for both Major General Michael Jeffery and Peter Hollingworth, with Stephen Brady.

Rudd defended Quentin Bryce's decision, arguing that she had the right to appoint a new Official Secretary.

Sheridan was commenting on Quentin Bryce's planned trip to Africa on behalf of the prime minister to lobby for a seat for Australia in the United Nations Security Council.

Quentin Bryce further stated that Bryce's "feigned interest in Africa will be seen cynically by Africans".

In November 2013, Quentin Bryce delivered the annual ABC Boyer Lecture.

Quentin Bryce's comments drew severe criticism, not merely for their support of a republic while still serving as the Queen's representative, but because the role is meant to be strictly non-partisan.

Quentin Bryce is a Life Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

Quentin Bryce was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2010.