Llew Edwards (politician)

Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards AC (2 August 1935 – 26 May 2021), known as Llew Edwards, was an Australian politician. He was the Liberal Party leader for Queensland. He was Chair and CEO of Brisbane's World Expo '88.

For the boxer, see Llew Edwards.

The Honourable
Sir Llew Edwards
AC
Llew Edwards at World Expo 88
37th Treasurer of Queensland
In office
15 December 1978 – 18 August 1983
PremierJoh Bjelke-Petersen
Preceded byWilliam Knox
Succeeded byJoh Bjelke-Petersen
23rd Deputy Premier of Queensland
In office
9 October 1978 – 18 August 1983
PremierJoh Bjelke-Petersen
Preceded byWilliam Knox
Succeeded byBill Gunn
Leader of the Queensland Liberal Party
Elections: 1980
In office
9 October 1978 – 9 August 1983
DeputyFred Campbell (1978–1980)
Sam Doumany (1980–1983)
Preceded byWilliam Knox
Succeeded byTerry White
Minister for Health
In office
23 December 1974 – 15 December 1978
PremierJoh Bjelke-Petersen
Preceded byDouglas Tooth
Succeeded byWilliam Knox
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
SpouseLeone Burley (d. 1988) Jane Brumfield (1989)[2]
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationElectrician, Medical practitioner, Surgical Registrar

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 the Queensland Legislative Assembly 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 the Queensland Parliament[2] to take on the role of chairman and chief executive of World Expo '88, held in Brisbane in 1988.

Later activities

Edwards was Chair and CEO of the 1988 World Exposition, Brisbane's World Expo '88.[4]

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.[5]

In 1984, he was made a Knight Bachelor and, in 1989, a Companion of the Order of Australia.[6][7]

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.[8]

In 2009, the Sir Llew Edwards Building at the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus is named after him.[9]

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".[10][11]

On 28 April 2013, a plaque commemorating the 25th anniversary of World Expo 88 and Llew Edward's leadership of the event was unveiled at the South Bank Parklands (the site of Expo 88) by Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.[4][12]

Later life

Edwards died on 26 May 2021 in Brisbane. He was 85 years old and had been suffering from dementia.[1] A state funeral was held at 2pm on Thursday 3 June 2021 at the St John's Cathedral in Brisbane with the Australian flag being flown at half-mast throughout Queensland.[13]

References
  1. Caldwell, Felicity (26 May 2021). "Sir Llew Edwards, a 'giant' of the Queensland Liberal Party, dies at 85". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  2. "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. "World Expo 1988". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  5. 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.
  6. "Mr Llewellyn Roy Edwards, Knight Bachelor (Imperial)". Australian Honours. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  7. "The Honourable Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards: Companion of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  8. Caldwell, Alison (17 March 2004). "AM - James Hardie Ltd accused of underestimating compensation costs". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  9. "Vale Sir Llewellyn Edwards AC". stories.uq.edu.au. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  10. "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.
  11. "2010 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  12. Feeney, Katherine (28 April 2013). "Fond memories of when Brisbane came of age". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  13. "The Hon Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards AC (1935 - 2021)". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Australian Government. 3 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022.

Further reading
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