Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography

When Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia’s first female governor-general in 2008, she made history. It was one of many firsts in a trailblazing career dedicated to reform and serving community.

Her early childhood in a western Queensland bush town shaped her sense of self and her destiny. Young Quentin dreamed of changing the world and then set out to do it. She was the first from her school to go to university and among the first women admitted to the Queensland Bar. In revolutionary times her advocacy for human rights – especially for women, children and First Nations Australians – underpinned her every role, which included teaching in the male-dominated university law faculty, federal sex discrimination commissioner, CEO of the National Childcare Accreditation Council, principal of Sydney’s Women’s College, governor of Queensland and Australia’s governor-general.

This biography traces the triumphs and the barriers as Quentin shattered glass ceilings and reveals the woman behind the high offices she held. Mother of five and grandmother to twelve, it is her partnership with soulmate Michael Bryce and the love of family, enduring friendships and belief in community that have sustained her. Her passion for the arts and elemental connection to Australia’s ancient landscape feed her soul.

Fascinating, candid and insightful, Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography tells the remarkable story of one of Australia’s most impactful changemakers.