Service & Justice: Government
Francis Forde was a politician who served as Prime Minister of Australia in 1945. He was the Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party for 14 years. He served as Prime Minister after the death of John Curtin, and interestingly, he is the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia’s history, with only eight days in office. He was not only a student at St Mary’s, but a teacher too. The auditorium is named in his honour.
Walter Campbell attended St Mary's College for his early and intermediate education. He was a judge, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Chancellor of the University of Queensland, Queen's Counsel and the 21st Governor of Queensland. His exceptional personality-gregarious, cheerful, tactful, diplomatic-was singular. Campbell was enormously influential and respected by many.
Old Boy, Vincent "Vince" Lester was a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for 30 years. He served as a minister in several National Party governments throughout his career, having first been promoted in 1983 as part of Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen's cabinet. In 2006, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community and to local government through Parliament.
