Peter Hollingworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Right Reverend The Honourable
Peter Hollingworth
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| 23rd Governor-General of Australia | |
| In office 29 June 2001 – 29 May 2003 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Sir William Deane |
| Succeeded by | Michael Jeffery |
| Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane | |
| In office 1989–2001 |
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| Preceded by | John Grindrod |
| Succeeded by | Phillip Aspinall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter John Hollingworth
10 April 1935 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Spouse |
Ann Turner
(m. 1960) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Bishop |
Peter John Hollingworth, AC, OBE (born 10 April 1935) is an Australian retired Anglican bishop. Engaged in social work for several decades, he served as the archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane in Queensland for 11 years from 1989 and was the 1991 Australian of the Year. He served as the 23rd governor-general of Australia from 2001 until 2003. He is also an author and recipient of various civil and ecclesiastical honours. In May 2003 Hollingworth became the third Australian governor-general to resign, after criticisms were aired over his conduct as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.
Early life
Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Hollingworth moved to Melbourne, Victoria, in 1940. After attending Lloyd Street and Murrumbeena primary schools he received his secondary-school education at Scotch College, Melbourne, then began a cadetship with BHP, an Australian mining company.
Education and career
Hollingworth was conscripted for national service in 1953 and, after basic training at the Royal Australian Air Force base at Point Cook, he began working in the chaplain's office and discerned a vocation to ordained ministry. After matriculating in 1954 he enrolled at the University of Melbourne, residing at Trinity College as a member of its school of theology. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958 and a Licentiate of Theology in 1959.
On 6 February 1960 he married Kathleen Ann Turner, an obstetric physiotherapist, whom he had met while on National Service. The couple have three daughters.
Hollingworth was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1960. He became deacon-in-charge and then priest-in-charge of St Mary's North Melbourne, in a group ministry of the Anglican Inner City Mission within the Melbourne Diocesan Centre. In 1964 he joined the Brotherhood of St Laurence, an independent Anglican welfare organisation, as chaplain and director of youth and children's work, then as director of social policy and research. He completed a master's degree in social work and in 1980 was appointed executive director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, where he served for 25 years and was involved in other associated community and welfare bodies.
He wrote several books about his work with the poor which became educational texts. As a public advocate on welfare policy he argued that "poverty should be looked at in terms of the structure of society rather than the individual case."
He was elected a canon of St Paul's Cathedral in 1980 and became the Bishop in the Inner City upon his consecration, 24 February 1985.
In 1989 he was elected the 8th Archbishop of Brisbane, where he continued his advocacy for the poor and underprivileged and supported the ordination of women.
He was chairman of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless National NGO Committee and was named Australian of the Year for 1991, being described as "Australia’s foremost spokesman for social justice". He used his public profile to criticise government policy in relation to Aboriginal welfare and youth unemployment.
In 1998, he attended as an appointed delegate to the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention.
Governor-General of Australia
On 22 April 2001 the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, announced that Queen Elizabeth II had accepted his advice to appoint Hollingworth as Governor-General of Australia upon the completion of Sir William Deane's term. He was the first Christian cleric to hold the post, though precedent existed at a state level where Aboriginal pastor Sir Doug Nicholls and Uniting Church minister Sir Keith Seaman had served as Governor of South Australia and Davis McCaughey had served as Governor of Victoria. On 29 June 2001, Hollingworth was sworn in as Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force. As the governor-general is the chancellor and principal companion of the Order of Australia, Hollingworth was appointed a companion of the order (AC) on 29 June 2001.
Resignation
On 28 May 2003, Hollingworth announced his resignation and his commission as governor-general was revoked as of 29 May 2003. He has received a pension and other entitlements since then.
Honours
In 1976, Hollingworth was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 1988 he was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his work in church and community. In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal and later the same year was promoted to companion of the Order of Australia (AC) upon his appointment as Governor-General taking effect. As well as these secular honours he was elected as a canon of St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne in 1980. In 1991 he was named Australian of the Year and was included in the inaugural list of Australian Living Treasures in 1997.
On 21 May 2001, Hollingworth was awarded the Lambeth degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) by George Carey, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. He was awarded the doctorate in recognition of his research, publications, teaching and achievements in the fields of Christian social ethics, social welfare and poverty studies and episcopal leadership. In addition to this doctorate he already had six honorary doctorates from Australian universities.
See also
In Spanish: Peter Hollingworth para niños
