Sir Charles Gray Wanstall (17 February 1912 – 17 October 1999) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

. He was also the

Chief Justice of Queensland The chief justice of Queensland is the senior judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and the highest ranking judicial officer in the Australian state of Queensland. The chief justice is both the judicial head of the Supreme Court, as well as ...

Biography

Wanstall was born at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, the son of Ernest William Wanstall and his wife Emma (née Boyce). He attended state school in Roma and

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The ...

and then the Gympie High School (Secondary Education – Junior Certificate). He attended night school and studied Law with the Bar Board (Formal Education – Barristers Board Queensland) to become a Barrister (Barrister-at-Law) and having completed the Bar Board requirements in 1933 and was admitted as a Barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland. After working for the Crown Law Office from 1933 to 1935 he started his own civil law practice in 1936 and was admitted to practice before the High Court of Australia in 1942. Wanstall not only practised in civil law, he practiced broadly including in criminal law. An example of his criminal law practice was when he was called to the represent his old school mate a local Gympie butcher from Gympie, who was charged with cattle rustling (stealing cattle), and such case Wanstall convincingly had his old school mate, acquitted. He practiced from Bank of New South Wales Chambers, cnr. Queen and George Streets Brisbane. Wanstall was made a QC in 1956 and was then a judge of the Queensland Supreme Court from 1958 to 1982. By 1971 he was the Senior Puisne judge and in 1977 was promoted to Chief Justice of Queensland, holding the position until his compulsory retirement at the age of 70 in 1982. He was made a Knight Bachelor on 15 June 1974 for distinguished service as a judge of the Queensland Supreme Court. Wanstall was a foundation member of the Queensland Cancer Fund and for over twenty years was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In recognition of his work with the fund, the Sir Charles Wanstall Apex Lodge bears his name. He was also chairman of the Queensland Ballet Company and the President of the Society Welfare Services. He served on committees for the

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, known colloquially as Guide Dogs, is a British charitable organization founded in 1934. The Association uses guide dogs to help blind and partially blind people. The organization also participates in ...

and the Multiple Handicapped Association. Wanstall was heavily involved in the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

and for 20 years was the Chancellor of the Brisbane Diocese. On 14 June 1938 Wanstall married Olwyn John (died 1998)Olwyn Mabel Wanstall ( - 1998)
— Heaven Address. Retrieved 23 April 2016. and together had one daughter. He died at Corinda in October 1999 and was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

at the Albany Creek Crematorium.Charles Gray Wanstall ( - 1999)
— Heaven Address. Retrieved 23 April 2016. At his funeral the then Chief Justice of Queensland,

Paul de Jersey Paul de Jersey, (born 21 September 1948) is an Australian jurist who served as the 26th governor of Queensland, in office from 29 July 2014 to 1 November 2021. He was Chief Justice of Queensland from 1998 to 2014. Education De Jersey was edu ...

, gave the

eulogy A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person or persons, especially one who recently died or retired, or as ...

Public life

Wanstall, representing the

Queensland People's Party The Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division), branded as Liberal Queensland, was the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia until 2008. It was initially formed in October 1943 as the Queensland People's Party (QPP), whic ...

, won the seat of

Toowong Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills ...

at the

1944 Queensland state election Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 15 April 1944 to elect the 62 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The election was the first that Labor had contested under Premier Frank Cooper, who had been in office fo ...

, easily defeating the sitting member, Harry Massey. He held the seat for six years and retired from politics in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

. In his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

he called for the repeal of the Commonwealth Powers Act of 1943 and a revision of electoral boundaries. He also stated his opinion that votes cast at the last state election by the holders of proxies for soldiers present in the state on the day of the election were invalid and illegal. From 1950 until 1953 Wanstall was State President of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanstall, Charles Gray Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1912 births 1999 deaths Judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland Chief Justices of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians