He is known for his involvement in the Wik debate when Paul Keating referred to him as "the meddling priest". Their second child, Madeline Brennan QC, is a barrister in Brisbane and has served as a director of a number of Catholic health and education providers. Their third child Dr Anne Brennan is a psychiatrist who came to prominence in the Barrett Adolescent Centre Commission of Inquiry. Their fourth child Tom Brennan SC is a barrister in Sydney.A son Paul was CEO of Polynovo Ltd an ASX listed biotechnology manufacturer until his resignation in 2021. A daughter, Bernadette, is the author of renowned literary biographies This Writing Life: Helen Garner and her Work; and Leaping into Waterfalls: The Enigmatic Gillian Mears. Brennan died on 1 June 2022 in Sydney, aged 94, two days before Mabo Day and the 30th anniversary of the Mabo decision. Honours In 1981, Brennan was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and, in 1988, appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to the law. Brennan was awarded honorary degrees by the University of Melbourne (Hon. LL.D.), the University of Technology, Sydney (Hon. LL.D.), the University of Queensland (Hon. LL.D.), Griffith University (Hon. D.Univ.), Central Queensland University (Hon. D.Litt.), Trinity College Dublin (Hon. LL.D.) and the Australian Catholic University (Hon LL.D). He was a life fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. He served as chancellor of the University of Technology, Sydney, from 1998 to 2004. In 2013, Brennan was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. References 1928 births 2022 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of Australia Chief justices of Australia Justices of the High Court of Australia Judges of the Federal Court of Australia Judges of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory Justices of the Court of Final Appeal (Hong Kong) Fellows of the Australian Academy of Law Australian judges on the courts of Hong Kong Australian judges on the courts of Fiji Supreme Court of Fiji justices Australian King's Counsel People from Rockhampton Australian Roman Catholics Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of German descent Judges of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory 20th-century Australian judges Judges of the Commonwealth Industrial Court