The Sixth Warden
Dr Donald Markwell

Dr Donald John Markwell was appointed as Trinity’s sixth Warden in 1997 and held the position until 2006.  

Markwell was born in Quilpie in outback Queensland, attended school in Brisbane, and went on to study economics at the University of Queensland, where he graduated with First Class Honours.

He was a Rhodes Scholar for Queensland in 1981 and studied a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at Oxford. He went on to work in a number of roles at Oxford, including as a fellow, tutor and lecturer. It was while he was on study leave from Oxford that he found himself walking around the Trinity College campus one afternoon, and feeling drawn to the College. He subsequently applied for the Warden role upon the Revd Dr Evan Burge’s retirement.

Markwell was passionate about ensuring that students had access to a first-rate educational experience that was complemented by excellent pastoral care and extra-curricular opportunities. He felt Trinity was the ideal place to develop talented ‘all-rounders’ and sought to build a ‘world-class future’ for Trinity.

Given his rural upbringing, he was also acutely aware of the fact that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, so had a soft spot for those who came from less privileged backgrounds.  

During Markwell’s tenure, 27 new resident scholarships were created, including the first two scholarships for Indigenous students, and the Trinity Education Centre (later the Trinity College Pathways School) was nested under the broader Trinity umbrella, rather than acting as a satellite unit that was distanced from the rest of the College. His aim was to bring a stronger international ethos to the whole of the college.  

Markwell was also passionate about ensuring students across all divisions of the college, including international students from the Pathways School, had access to pastoral care, again, reflecting on his country upbringing and knowing the feeling of being a fish out of water, a long way from home.  

Former board chair, Bill Cowan, described Markwell by saying:  

In 2007, Markwell released a booked called A large and liberal education: Higher education for the 21^st century, in which he presents his vision for higher education that focuses on both the classroom and extra-curricular engagement.