'I wanted to change the world': Quentin Bryce reflects on stellar career

From a country girl with a dream to becoming Australia's first female Governor-General, Dame Quentin Bryce has lived remarkable life.

The trailblazer was one of the first women admitted to the Queensland bar, becoming a lawyer with a lifelong commitment to improving the rights of women, children and First Nations people.

Today's Sarah Abo had the pleasure of sitting down with Bryce as she reflected on a life filled with extraordinary achievements.

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"I wanted to change the world and I thought the best way to do that would be as a lawyer and it's probably one of the very best decicions I ever made," the now 82-year-old said.

But even though Bryce's headmaster at the time drummed it into her that law was not a profession suited to women, she persevered.

"It did put me off, the comments from people that girls don't do law, I don't know why I weakened my ambitions, really," she said.

And while many Australians weren't familiar with Quentin's name until she was sworn in as the country's 25th Governor-General in 2008, she had established an astonishing career in the lead up to that historic day.

"Most people know Quentin as our first Governor-General, that was a job she had in her 60s, but by that time she had so many jobs under her belt," author of Quentin's self-titled new autobiography, Juliet Rieden, told Today.

"She was the federal sex discrimination commissioner, she administered the sex discrimination act, all while raising a young family - I don't think people today quite understand what a debt we owe."

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And while a lot has changed for professional women since Bryce paved the way with her own astonishing career, she offered the following advice for the ladies who still face challenges when making a name for themselves.

"I see too many young achieving women in wonderful careers juggling all those responsibilities of community, career, family who are on the edge of exhaustion," she said.

"And it's very important to build resilience, because there are some tough gullies that come along for all of us and yes, that's my advice to take good care of yourself."

Juliet Rieden's book, Quentin Bryce: An authorised biography, is available now.

Watch Sarah's full interview with Dame Quinten Bryce and Juliet Rieden in the video above