Llew Edwards (politician)

Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards (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.

Early life and education
Llew Edwards started his working life as an electrician in his family's electrical business. He graduated from the University of Queensland with a medical degree (MB BS) in 1965.

Political career
Edwards entered the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the Liberal member for Ipswich in 1972. He was the Minister for Health between 1974–1978 and then held the position of Liberal Party leader, Deputy Premier and Treasurer until 1983 when he retired from the Queensland Parliament 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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".

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.

Later life
Edwards died on 26 May 2021 in Brisbane. He was 85 years old and had been suffering from dementia. 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.