Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography

Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography 
Special Conversation 
Friday 11 September
7.00-8.30pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, Cairns
$35pp

Quentin Bryce: The Authorised 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 feeds her soul.  Join Patron of WOW in Australia the Hon. Quentin Bryce for the Cairns launch of her biography and a timely conversation about her life and work as a trailblazer, with biographer, journalist and Royal Correspondant Juliet Riedon, CEO of Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership Kirsty Davies and facilitated by the CEO of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency Christine Castley.

The Book

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 singular career dedicated to reform and serving community.Her early childhood in a western Queensland bush town shaped her sense of self andher 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 Indigenous Australians -underpinned her every role which included teaching in the male-dominated university law faculty, federal sex discrimination commissioner, CEO and Chair of the National Childcare Accreditation Council, Principal of Sydney’s Women’s College, governor of Queensland and Australia’s governor-general. Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography traces the triumphs and the barriersas 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 feeds her soul. Fascinating, candid and insightful, the biography tells the remarkable story of one of Australia’s most impactful changemakers.

The Author

Juliet Rieden is an author, journalist, magazine editor, royal correspondent and book reviewer. Her previous books include The Writing on the Wall, a personal investigation into Juliet’s family’s fate in the Holocaust; Rising Heart, the memoir of Sierra Leonean kidnap survivor Aminata Conteh-Biger; and The Royals in Australia. Juliet spent more than two years researching and writing Quentin Bryce: The Authorised Biography, involving 120 exclusive interviews covering every aspect of Dame Quentin’s life.

This even is made possible with support from Morgans and the Morgans Cairns team

Speakers

Christine Castley

Christine Castley OAM is a values-driven leader whose career spans government and the for-purpose sector, grounded in a deep commitment to inclusion, equity and belonging. Christine is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Prior to this she was Chair of the Australian Multicultural Council and CEO of Multicultural Australia.She previously spent 25 years in the Queensland Government, including as Deputy Director-General in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Housing andPublic Works, where she led major reform across housing and social policy.

Christine also serves on the Boards of the Residential Tenancies Authority, the Queensland Theatre Company,DV Connectand the Queensland Community Foundation.She is known for working at the intersection of people, policy and purpose, bringing together community voice, data and practical delivery to deliver social good, particularly for those in our community experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage.

Kirsty Davis

Kirsty Davis grew up on Gimuy country (Cairns). She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and has dedicated more than 30 years to advancing community-led reform, capability building and empowerment across Cape York.

Kirsty has held senior leadership roles with the Cape York Land Council and Puuya Foundation, Lockhart River and brings extensive experience in strategic leadership, partnership development and organisational growth and is passionate about families and communities taking responsibility for the next generation.

She currently serves on the boards of the Torres Strait Kaziw Meta Boarding College, Puuya Foundation, Girls from Oz Australia and the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service.