The Australasian Federal Convention at Sydney

Sir J.W. Downer was a delegate from South Australia to the Constitutional Convention, Sydney, 1891. At the Australian Federation Conference in 1890 the colonies decided on a process for the drafting of a federal constitution. Each Australian colony agreed to send seven delegates, appointed by parliament, to a national convention at which a draft constitution would be prepared. Two delegates from New Zealand would also attend. The National Australasian Convention opened in Sydney on 2 March 1891, and by 9 April the draft Constitution was complete.

Eminent scientist Dame Bridget Ogilvie AC DBE FAA FRS (b. 1938) completed her undergraduate degree at the University of New England, graduating with the University Medal in 1960. She was awarded a scholarship that funded postgraduate study at Cambridge, where she completed her PhD in 1964. She was then awarded a fellowship with the UK's National Institute for Medical Research and contributed substantially to the discovery of an enzyme in sheep and cattle that has been critical to efforts in the control of nematodes (intestinal parasites) in livestock. She gained her DSc from Cambridge in 1981. That year she became coordinator of the Tropical Medicine Program at the Wellcome Trust, of which she was Director from 1991 until her retirement in 1998. During her time as Director, the Trust expanded tropical medicine research in Africa and the Asia-Pacific, and established the Sanger Institute, a leading player in sequencing of the human genome. A leading proponent of the necessity of communicating scientific discoveries to non-science audiences, she has served on the boards of many organisations including Cancer Research UK and AstraZeneca. Among her many scientific and civilian honours are 25 honorary doctorates, a DBE (2006) and an AC (2007).

Sir Samuel Walter Griffith (1845-1920), chief justice and premier, was born in Wales and came to Australia aged eight with his minister father and family.A top student, at the University of Sydney Griffith excelled at classics and mathematics; the Mort scholarship enabled him to travel to Europe. Admitted to the Bar in 1867, in 1871 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly. As Queensland's premier from 1883 to 1888, often working 80 hours a week, he battled sugar planters and encouraged immigrants from Britain and Europe, rather than China. As Chief Justice of Queensland from 1893 to 1903, he drafted legislation with a lasting impact on State and Federal law. Griffith was dedicated to Federation, and from 1891 he was instrumental in shaping Australia's constitution. From 1903 to 1919 he served as the inaugural Chief Justice of Australia. During most of this period he was a member of the Senate of the University of Sydney; in his spare time, he translated Dante. Though he lived in Sydney from 1903, Griffith was buried in Brisbane.

Purchased 2015