The Holmes Scholarship - The Hon Catherine Holmes AC

This biography has been prepared by Ms Laura Dawson, her Honour’s last associate prior to her retirement as Chief Justice of Queensland.

Catherine Holmes, former Chief Justice of Queensland, is known for many things, not least of all her concise judgments, her exceptional legal mind, and her knowledge of and love for literature. But the thing that I most associate with her Honour is her fantastically dry wit. In a profession where the hours can be long and the matters taxing, a sense of humour is a very great thing to have.

Chief Justice Holmes grew up in a working-class family in Brisbane and attended a state high school in the western suburbs of Brisbane. Upon graduating, Canberra beckoned, and she moved south to commence a degree in Economics Law at the Australian National University. After three years living and studying in Canberra she moved north once more and continued her studies at the University of Queensland in 1977. While UQ has been welcoming campus to many over the years, Chief Justice Holmes remembers feeling, at least at first, a distinct sense of not belonging to the cohort she suddenly found herself amongst. Coming from a working-class background and being surrounded by peers who, in her mind at least, had experienced a more privileged upbringing, she recalls having a chip on her shoulder “the size of a house”.

Whether a background that is not as privileged as that of another person is a blessing in disguise or a distinct disadvantage is not for me to say. But something I can conclude is that through my time as her Honour’s associate in 2022, I saw her give generously of her time to speak with law students and early career lawyers, and saw how she always made others feel at ease. Her interest was genuine, her questions sincere, and she took the time to listen and answer whatever questions might have been asked of her. Whatever background she had, we all know that it did not hold her back in any respects, and she made the most of her opportunities to lift others up at every opportunity.

A lifelong lover of education, she could not stay away from UQ for long and returned to UQ to complete a Bachelor of Arts in 1980. In 1982, she was admitted as a solicitor, before being called to the Bar in 1984. From 1982 until 1986, sheworked as a Commonwealth Prosecutor, but also found time to dedicate to study, as graduating with her Arts degree in 1989. She also returned to UQ a third time to complete a Master of Laws in 1998. The following year, in 1999, Chief Justice Holmes took silk.

It was during 1998 and 1999 that she was also Counsel assisting the Forde Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse. At various times throughout her practice, she was a part time member of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal and Deputy President of the Queensland Community Corrections Board.

In March 2000, Ms Holmes was appointed to the Supreme Court of Queensland. She was the judge overseeing the Court’s criminal list for some years and was the judge constituting the Mental Health Court from February 2005 until May 2006, when she was appointed to the Court of Appeal.

From 16 January 2011 until 16 March 2012, she was the Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland Floods 2010-2011, and on 11 September 2015 her Honour was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Queensland.

A well-deserved acknowledgement of her exceptional contribution to the Law saw her awarded a Doctor of Laws honoris causa in 2016, while a broader acknowledgement of her service to the community occurred on 26 January 2020 when Chief Justice Holmes was appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia.

In 2022, her Honour resigned as Chief Justice of Queensland, with effect from 19 March 2022. I had the privilege of being her final associate. At a dinner just prior to her retirement from the bench, sitting around a table with her previous associates (I was one of 19) I felt immensely lucky, and glad, to be part of this group. While each of us may have had a different background, we all have one tremendous person in common.

When I first started out in the law, I held many of the feelings that Chief Justice has said she felt when she first started at UQ – the feeling of being an outsider, of not knowing this strange new world that others seemed so comfortable in, while wondering how on earth I would figure it all out. In my time as an associate, I discovered that plenty of others felt the same way and I developed the confidence I needed to flourish thanks to the support I received from my peers and my professional network.

Chief Justice Holmes is delighted to be associated with a scholarship in her name. With this financial support, a student in need of help will have the opportunities that they may not have otherwise been able to access. I think it is very fitting, that despite retiring from the bench, young lawyers and students will be supported in her name to continue with their studies and to develop their personal and professional confidence.