Hon. William Hayden AC, Brisbane State High School, 1949

William graduated from BSHS in 1949. He had a successful career in parliament from 1961 to 1988, the peak of which was in 1989 when he took up the role of Governor General of Australia.

During his time in parliament, he successfully introduced Medibank—Australia’s first universal health insurance system—and the single mother’s pension. The Honourable William Hayden​ retired in 1996 and now runs a cattle farm.