Vince Lester

The Honourable
Vince Lester
OAM JP
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Belyando
In office
7 December 1974 – 12 November 1977
Preceded byEugene O'Donnell
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Peak Downs
In office
12 November 1977 – 19 September 1992
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded bySeat abolished
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
for Keppel
In office
19 September 1992 – 7 February 2004
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byPaul Hoolihan
Personal details
BornVincent Patrick Lester
(1939-07-28)28 July 1939
Charleville, Queensland, Australia
Died17 August 2026(2026-08-17) (aged 87)
PartyNational Party
OccupationBaker

Vincent Patrick Lester OAM (28 July 1939 – 17 August 2026) was an Australian politician.

He was a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1974 to 2004, representing in succession the electorates of Belyando, Peak Downs and then Keppel.

He served as a minister in several National Party governments throughout his career, having first been promoted in 1983 as part of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's cabinet. Over the following six years, he served variously as Minister for Employment, Training, Small Business, Consumer Affairs, Industrial Affairs and Police.[1][2]

Early life

Lester's father, who managed a cattle station near Quilpie, died when Lester was a young boy.[3] Lester's mother than moved to Toowoomba where she rented a flat and found work as a barmaid.[4]

At the age of 18, Lester commenced an apprenticeship as a baker.[3] Upon completing his apprenticeship, he managed a one-man bakery in the Central Queensland township of Duaringa where he stayed for two years.[4][3] After that bakery prospered, Lester relocated to Clermont in the Central Highlands where he managed a bakery which employed seven men.[3]

Political career

While in Clermont, Lester was elected to Belyando Shire Council in 1969 where he served four years as a local councillor. At the 1974 Queensland state election, Lester successfully contested the seat of Belyando following the retirement of Labor's Eugene O'Donnell. Lester defeated Labor candidate James Turner with an 8.7% swing towards the National Party.

When the seat of Belyando was abolished, Lester successfully contested the new seat of Peak Downs at the 1977 Queensland state election, defeating Labor candidate Leonard Nicholson.

In 1989, there were calls for Lester's resignation from the leaders of both the Liberal and Labor Party, Angus Innes and Wayne Goss after Lester was quoted as saying the Fitzgerald Inquiry could "go to buggery" during a visit to Blackall.[5] Goss urged premier Russell Cooper to immediately sack Lester, stating: “Surely even Mr Cooper cannot retain a police minister who has expressed such an outrageous sentiment against the Fitzgerald Report”.[5] However, Lester argues he had merely been referencing Tony Fitzgerald’s suggestion that the number of police officers be reduced from rural areas to boost numbers in cities with higher crime rates.[6]

When the seat of Peak Downs was also abolished, Lester successfully contested the seat of Keppel on the Capricorn Coast, narrowly beating Labor candidate Robert Schwarten at the 1992 Queensland state election with Lester winning on preferences despite Schwarten receiving more primary votes.[7]

Throughout his career, Lester became known for being outspoken on numerous issues.

After entering state parliament, Lester agitated for new building regulations in Queensland which would ensure doors to toilet cubicles in new buildings could swing outwards instead of inwards.[8] Lester argued that this would make it easier for those who needed urgent medical attention to receive help without rescuers being hindered by the lack of easy access.[8]

In 1979, Lester called on the Queensland welfare minister Sam Doumany to ban a Nestlé Nesquik "Captain Quik" space wargame, with Lester claiming the game could potentially lead to violence amongst children, spraying poisons and conducting operations.[9]

In 1994, Lester advocated for the introduction of flogging as a form of corporal punishment for those convicted of assault, rape and burglary.[10] Lester's proposal was criticised by Queensland's Civil Liberties Council with vice-president Terry O'Gorman accusing Lester of taking a superficial approach to the issue of crime.[11]

Lester also advocated for tax incentives for those people wanting to quit smoking.[12] He wrote to federal health minister Graham Richardson advocating for the federal government to add the cost of anti-smoking incentives to the national health scheme. Lester also suggested pensioners be provided with anti-smoking aids such as nicotine gum.[12]

Lester also campaigned for the introduction of reflective number plates on vehicles and for the installation of air bags as a standard safety feature in cars, criticising the apparent reluctance of Australian car manufacturers due to the associated expense.[13][14]

Walking backwards

One of Lester's most memorable feats during his time as a state MP was his achievement in 1977 of walking 24 kilometres backwards to raise money for Clermont's local rugby league club which was struggling financially.[3][15] Lester had become aware of the club's plight after attending a meeting with the intention of obtaining the money the club owed his bakery.[3]

In 1991, he once again walked backwards completing an 18-kilometre walk from Yeppoon to Emu Park as a fundraising activity to oppose a court action brought against Livingstone Shire Council by a developer hoping to establish a hard rock quarry at Emu Park.[16] On this occasion, Lester raised $1000 for the Emu Park Preservation Society.[16]

Post politics

Following his retirement from parliament Lester was employed as a political advisor on the staff of Senator Ron Boswell, a senator for Queensland.[17]

Recognition

Lester received a Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001 for "service to Australian society through parliament".[18] He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2006 Australia Day Honours for "service to the community through the Queensland Parliament and to local government".[19]

In 2018, Lester was presented with a Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his extensive community service including 50 years with Rotary International.[20]

The Vince Lester Bridge in Emerald and Vince Lester Walking Circuit in Rockhampton are named in Lester's honour.[20]

Personal life and death

As of March 2026, Lester had been married to his wife Mary for 62 years.[13]

Lester died in Toowoomba on 17 August 2026, aged 87.[21] His death prompted various community members to share tributes, celebrating Lester's legacy.[22][23]

Lester’s funeral will be held at St Thomas More’s Catholic Parish in Toowoomba on 28 August 2026, commencing with a requiem mass.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Odgers, Rosemary (13 November 2002). "Unbeatable Vince Lester decides it's time to quit". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Australia. p. 5.
  2. ↑ "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hamilton, John (2 September 1983). "Minister for Silly Walks isn't so silly after all". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 3. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Vince Lester's maiden speech" (PDF). Hansard. Parliament of Queensland. 13 March 1975. pp. 28–33. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Calls for sacking of Lester". The Canberra Times. 24 November 1989. p. 2. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Andrew (27 November 1989). "Brisbane bureaucrats start spring cleaning". The Canberra Times. p. 9. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "IN BRIEF: Lester wins seat". The Canberra Times. 30 September 1992. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 Baker, Mark (5 February 1980). "Doors (and votes) that swing". The Age. p. 2. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Baker, Mark (28 November 1979). "Child's play hits snag". The Age. p. 3. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "IN BRIEF: Flogging advocated". The Canberra Times. 18 April 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Flogging ideal punishment: MP". The Canberra Times. 5 July 1994. p. 6. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Subsidise smokers to get them to quit". The Canberra Times. 16 February 1994. p. 18. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 Murray, Kent (17 March 2026). "Vince Lester reflects on almost 30 years in Queensland Parliament". Rocky News. Worthview Media. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Calls for Compulsory Car Air Bags". Torres News. 23 August 1991. p. 25. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Column 8". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 April 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 22 August 2026. Vince Lester, Queensland National Party MLA has just walked 24 kilometres for charity. It took him five hours, trudging along the road to Blackwater in Central Queensland. So? He trudged along the road backwards.
  16. 1 2 "MLA back in business". The Canberra Times. 4 November 1991. p. 5. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Heywood, Lachlan (14 March 2007). "Lester in working comeback". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Australia. p. 11.
  18. ↑ "LESTER, Vincent Patrick". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "LESTER, Vincent Patrick". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  20. 1 2 Shannon, Louise (19 October 2018). "Community tribute to a Clermont icon". CQ News. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Death of former Keppel MP Vince Lester". CQ Today. 18 August 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026. Mr Lester OAM died on Monday at the age of 87.
  22. ↑ Cavander, Letea (18 August 2026). "Colourful Bjelke-Petersen-era politician Vince Lester dies aged 87". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  23. ↑ McKaysmith, Andrew (21 August 2026). "Vince Lester, legendary camel riding politician and people's champion, dies aged 87". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Funeral notice for LESTER, The Honourable Vincent Patrick OAM". My Tributes. 22 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.