Peter Churcher (b.1964), Peter John Hollingworth (detail), Historic Memorials Collection, Parliament House Art Collection. View full image
Governor-General, 29 June 2001 to 29 May 2003
The first cleric to serve as Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth (1935) was known for his work for social justice.1 However, his term was marked by controversy and he resigned after less than two years in office.
Born in Adelaide, Hollingworth moved with his family to Victoria in 1940. He attended Lloyd Street and Murrumbeena primary schools and Melbourne’s Scotch College. After being conscripted for national service in 1953, Hollingworth worked in the chaplain’s office at RAAF Base Point Cook. From there he decided to join the Anglican ministry. In 1960, he graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts and a Licentiate of Theology and became deacon-in-charge of St Mary’s, North Melbourne. He later obtained a master’s degree in social work.
Hollingworth met his future wife Ann Turner while on national service. They married in 1960 in Victoria and had three daughters. Ann died on 13 April 2021.
In 1964, Hollingworth was appointed chaplain to the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, an institution he would remain affiliated with for many years. In the following decades he became well-known for his campaigns against poverty. He was consecrated Bishop of the Inner City (Melbourne) in 1985, then Archbishop of Brisbane in 1989. Hollingworth’s service on many committees, long service to the Church, and advocacy for the poor and marginalised, saw him named an OBE in 1976, an AC in 1988, and Australian of the Year for 1991. He was also included in the list of Australian Living Treasures in 1997. He was described as ‘Australia’s foremost spokesman for social justice’ and argued that ‘poverty should be looked at in terms of the structure of society rather than the individual case’.2
Hollingworth was sworn in as Australia’s 23rd Governor-General on 29 June 2001. That same year, he was awarded the Lambeth degree of Doctor of Letters by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Hollingworth’s tenure as Governor-General was brief. He announced his resignation on 28 May 2003 following the widespread controversy over his handling of abuse claims while serving as Archbishop of Brisbane.3
Peter Churcher
Brisbane-born painter Peter Churcher (b.1964), son of artist Roy and former Director of the National Gallery of Australia Betty Churcher, trained as a classical musician before embarking on a career as a painter, completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Prahran School of Art and Design in 1991. He held his first solo exhibition in 1994, and has since been a regular exhibitor in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In 2002, Churcher was appointed by the Australian War Memorial as an official war artist to record the participation of the RAN and the RAAF in the Persian Gulf and Diego Garcia as part of the International Coalition Against Terrorism. A long-term resident of Barcelona, Spain, Churcher was awarded first prize in ‘El Premio de Grabados’, Circulo de Sant Lluc, Barcelona (2008) for printmaking. Churcher has been a regular finalist in the Archibald Prize, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (1996, 1998, 2014 and 2018), and the Sulman Prize (1998 and 2000). His work is represented in major public, corporate and private collections throughout Australia and overseas.
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Peter John Hollingworth
by Peter Churcher
2003
Oil on canvas
119.2 x 96.8 cm
Historic Memorials Collection, Parliament House Art Collection
References
1. Information in this biography has been taken from: B Carroll, Australia’s Governors-General: From Hopetoun to Jeffery, Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd, Kenthurst, NSW, 2004; ‘Biography: Dr Hollingworth and Mrs Hollingworth’, The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia; ‘Archbishop Peter Hollingworth AO OBE’, Australian of the Year Awards, 1991; W Lewis, Australians of the Year: Celebrating 50 years of remarkable achievement, Murdoch Books Australia, Millers Point, 2010. Websites accessed 1 April 2021.
2. Australian of the Year Awards, op. cit.
3. P Hollingworth, ‘Statement to the Nation by the Governor-General’, press release, 28 May 2003, accessed 27 August 2021.
4. Information in this biography has been taken from: ‘Churcher, Peter’, A McCulloch, S McCulloch and E McCulloch Childs, eds, The New McCulloch’s Encyclopedia of Australian Art, Aus Art Editions in association with The Miegunyah Press, 2006, p. 322; ‘Peter Churcher, Official Artist: Exhibition’, Australian War Memorial; ‘Artists: Peter Churcher’, Philip Bacon Galleries; ‘Peter Churcher’, Michael Reid. Websites accessed 25 March 2021.