Llew Edwards (politician)

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For the boxer, see Llew Edwards.

The Honourable

Sir Llew Edwards

AC
37th Treasurer of Queensland
In office
15 Dec 1978 – 18 August 1983
Preceded byWilliam Knox
Succeeded byJoh Bjelke-Petersen
ConstituencyIpswich
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Ipswich
In office
27 May 1972 – 22 October 1983
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byDavid Hamill
Personal details
Born(1935-08-02)2 August 1935
Ipswich, Queensland
Died26 May 2021(2021-05-26) (aged 85)[1]
Brisbane, Queensland
Political partyLiberal Party
Spouse(s)Leone Burley (d. 1988) (1989)[2]
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationElectrician, Medical practitioner, Surgical Registrar

Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards AC (2 August 1935 – 26 May 2021), known as Llew Edwards, was a Queensland state politician and state Liberal Party leader.

Early life and education[]

Llew Edwards started his working life as an electrician in his family's electrical business.[2] He graduated from the University of Queensland with an M.B.B.S. in 1965.[3]

Political career[]

Edwards entered Queensland state parliament as the Liberal member for Ipswich in 1972.[2] He was the Minister for Health between 1974–1978[2] and then held the position of Liberal Party leader, Deputy Premier and Treasurer until 1983[2] when he retired from State Parliament[2] to take on the role of Chairman and Chief Executive of World Expo '88, held in Brisbane.

Later activities[]

He was Chair and CEO of the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane's World Expo '88 and, in 1993, he was elected the twelfth Chancellor of the University of Queensland, holding the office until 9 February 2009. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in 1988.[4] In 2009, a building on the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland was named in his honour.[5]

In 1984, he was made a Knight Bachelor and, in 1989, a Companion of the Order of Australia. The Sir Llew Edwards Building at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus is named after him.

Edwards has sat on the boards of a number of publicly listed companies. He was a director of James Hardie Industries for a decade, and was appointed chairman of the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation, set up by James Hardie to provide financial compensation for victims of asbestos-related diseases caused by the company's products. He criticised the company for providing insufficient funds for the foundation, stating that it had underestimated the amount of liability for claims.[citation needed]

In 2010, Edwards was named by premier Anna Bligh as one of six "Queensland Greats". The citation stated that he was "an outstanding Queenslander who has made exceptional contributions to many fields".[6][7]

Later life[]

Edwards died on 26 May 2021 in Brisbane. He was 85 years old and had been suffering from dementia.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Caldwell, Felicity (26 May 2021). "Sir Llew Edwards, a 'giant' of the Queensland Liberal Party, dies at 85". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  3. ^ University of Queensland. (September 2010.) Alumni News Archived 4 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Miles, Janelle (23 November 2008). "Sir Llew Edwards to retire after 36 years of public life". Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Vale Sir Llewellyn Edwards AC". stories.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Sir Llew truly one of the Greats". The Queensland Times. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  7. ^ "2010 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
William Knox 		Deputy Premier of Queensland
1978–1983 		Succeeded by
Bill Gunn
Treasurer of Queensland
1978–1983 		Succeeded by
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Preceded by
Douglas Tooth
1974–1978 		Succeeded by
William Knox
Parliament of Queensland
New seat Member for Ipswich
1972–1983 		Succeeded by
David Hamill
Party political offices
Preceded by
William Knox 		Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party in Queensland
1978–1983 		Succeeded by
Terry White
Academic offices
Preceded by
Sir James Foots 		Chancellor of the University of Queensland
1993–2009 		Succeeded by
John Story
Retrieved from ""