Vale Brett Young
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 1, 14 February 2025, page no 6.
The QTU family was devastated at the news of the passing of former QTU Publications Officer Brett Young, shortly after his 60th birthday, after a valiant battle with cancer.
Brett started his career as a journalist working for a newspaper in Mt Isa and began working for the QTU in February 1992.
Members immediately noticed a change in the style of the Queensland Teachers’ Journal. Brett (pictured with Journal Advertising Coordinator Meg Hinchcliffe) was credited with bringing a “newsier” style, featuring larger pictures and more human-interest stories. His high-quality work was recognised by the broader union movement, and he won several awards for Best Union Journal and Best Union Publication.
In 2007, he left the QTU to pursue his own business, and then worked for Essential Media before eventually becoming media officer at the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU), providing advice to the President of the QCU at that time, former QTU General Secretary John Battams.
Brett’s sense of humour and spirit of kindness were well known to all. He was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, nor was he afraid to work hard and play hard. The suitcase parties he helped organise for the QTU staff social club were infamous. His commitment to trade unionism and the rights of the worker knew no bounds.
He was well-travelled, well-read, and well-loved by his family − his wife Madonna Cullinan (Research Services Coordinator at the QTU) and his two children, Oliver and Maddie.
His sage advice to the attendees at his funeral was simple: “This is just how things have unfolded, and this is life. We all have numbered days on this planet. My wish for you is that you enjoy every day you have left because you don’t know how many you get!”
Vale Brett.