Retiree to rookie MP: advocate’s stunning rise at 69
Former builder Russell Field is set for a second apprenticeship as the most unlikely rookie MP after a meteoric rise as a crime-victim advocate.
At 69, former builder Russell Field is about to start his second apprenticeship.
But instead of a trade, the grandad will be “head down and bum up” as Queensland’s most unlikely rookie MP.
Field said his previous job was being a retiree.
“And I was pretty good at that,” he laughed.
Then life took a turn.
On Australia Day 2021, his son Matthew and daughter-in-law Kate Leadbetter – pregnant with unborn child Miles – died when they were struck by a stolen car driven by a juvenile.
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“None of us ever met Miles but he lives in my heart,” an emotional Field told Queensland parliament.
The tragedy inspired him to become a crime victim advocate.
He found his community was just as passionate when he campaigned for the Brisbane bayside seat of Capalaba.
“At one house, a lady came running down the hallway when she saw me… and gave me a hug,” Field said.
“She was in tears. The memory of our family’s tragedy never left her.
“This happened two more times… funny enough I knew I had this effect on women 50 years ago but it just goes to show I haven’t lost it.”
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He went on to claim Capalaba in the state election in October, becoming one of 24 new MPs.
He overcame yet more heartache on the way, losing his eldest son Andrew to brain cancer in June.
Suddenly the “typical Aussie grandad” wasn’t retired anymore.
“I’m the most unlikely member of parliament to ever sit in this chamber,” the Liberal National Party MP said in his maiden speech late on Tuesday.
“I’m 69 years of age. Until recently I owned just one suit which I dusted off for weddings and that shrunk every time before every event.
“If you approached me on my 65th birthday and offered me the choice of a Powerball ticket or the odds of becoming a member of parliament, I would have picked the Powerball ticket because there was more chance of that happening.”
Field backed the LNP government’s “adult crime, adult time” campaign, with tough youth justice laws set to be passed in parliament.
Debate over the controversial bill is expected to continue through to Thursday.
Dedicating his maiden speech to crime victims, Field said his job would be to leave a legacy for his late sons, daughter-in-law and “treasured” grandson Miles.
“Fifty years ago, I did a four-year apprenticeship,” he said.
“This is my second apprenticeship. I want the premier to know I’m going to work hard, put my head down and bum up and master this trade as well.
“I stand with victims. I believe in justice… because lawlessness can never, ever be accepted as a norm.”
