Meet our Alumni

A distinguished military officer and respected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Herring was also Victoria's longest serving Lieutenant Governor.

Initially studying at The University of Melbourne, Herring received a Victorian Rhodes Scholarship and was a Supreme Court Prizeman. He then pursued further studies at the University of Oxford.

During the First World War he served with distinction in the British Army as an artillery officer in France and the Balkans. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross for gallantry. Herring then practised as a Barrister and lectured in Equity at Melbourne. He was appointed King's Counsel in 1936.

During the Second World War he commanded the 6th Army Division and was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for distinguished service in the Middle East. Herring was appointed Commander of the Northern Territory and New Guinea Forces in 1942 and was later honoured as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for distinguished service in the region.

In 1944 he became the first Victorian-born Chief Justice of Victoria, a position he held for the next 20 years. A very able administrator, Herring established the Chief Justice's Law Reform Committee. Herring was Lieutenant Governor of Victoria for 27 years, the longest serving in Victorian history. He was also Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne for over 40 years.

He was honoured as a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 1949. Herring held several other public positions including Chairman of the Board of Management of the Australian War Memorial, Chairman of Trustees of the Shrine of Remembrance and President of the Boy Scouts' Association.