Canterbury

Distinguished and Famous people from Canterbury

🏖️ John Howard

Canterbury Boys High School was part of John Howard's education before law studies at the University of Sydney and a career in federal politics. Raised in nearby Earlwood, he became the member for Bennelong in 1974 and later Australia's second-longest-serving prime minister. His government held office from 1996 to 2007, introducing major changes to taxation, industrial relations and gun regulation. His years at the school give Canterbury a direct connection with the education that preceded that legal and political career.

🏅 Tom Blue

Tom Blue attended night classes at Canterbury while apprenticed to automotive engineers in Surry Hills. A business career in tyres later took him to Dubbo and Brisbane, where sporting commitments expanded from rugby refereeing into athletics and Olympic administration. He became president of the Queensland Olympic Council and served on the Australian Olympic Federation’s executive, including during the contentious decision to send a team to Moscow in 1980. Canterbury’s link is his own evening education, rather than a university or cathedral overseas. It preserves the working student behind an administrator whose later weekends were filled with judging, organising and fundraising for sport.