His Honour Judge Hugh Botting was born on the 26th June 1945. He attended Redcliffe High School and later St John's College. After school he gained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Queensland in 1967. In 1970 Judge Botting completed a Bachelor of Laws degree also from the University of Queensland and was then called to the Bar in December 1970. He practiced at the Bar until 1989 when he was appointed as a Judge to the District Court of Queensland. Judge Botting retired from the District Court in 2015.

In 1988 Judge Botting was the first elected Honorary Life Member of the Bar Association of Queensland. (Accurate 7/7/2017)