Alan Lindsay Queale was born on 16 November 1908 at Boonah, Queensland. Heentered the Queensland Public Service in 1924 and retired in 1974. In 1935 he was appointed Clerk of the Petty Sessions and served in Dalby, Ipswich, Cunnamulla, Wynnum and Coolangatta. From 1966 to 1974 he was seconded to duty in the Chief Office Justice Department and worked extensively in the history and administration of the Law in Queensland. He was a member of the armed forces in World War II . He researched and wrote in the areas of convict history and Queensland and Australian-Irish history. He was a member of the John Oxley Advisory Committee from 1968 to 1977 and a trustee of the Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library Trust in Toowoomba, Queensland. He never married. He died 21 July 1982.