Address by the Honourable Alan Demack AO
Chief Justice
Mr Attorney
Justice McMeekin
Judge Britton
Magistrates Hennessey and Prest
Councillor Swadling
Legal practitioners
Ladies and gentlemen
Long before this building was brought into the service of the law, the Darumbal people had lived in this land, and with ritual, story and law had bound themselves to it. I acknowledge the obligations they embraced and pay my respects to those who carry on those traditions today.
I would also like to acknowledge my successor, Justice Dutney, whose strong attachment to the Rockhampton Bar would have ensured his presence here today, but for his untimely death in September last year.
Photographs help us to picture this building 122 years ago when it was first used as a courthouse. In our mind’s eye we can picture the turmoil around it when the Union leaders in the shearers’ strike were brought to trial. We can picture the excitement when Sir Samuel Griffith, then Chief Justice of Queensland, came to preside over a sittings of the Circuit Court. We can enjoy the pride Rockhampton felt when the first central Judge, Mr Justice Virgil Power, presided over the first sittings of the Supreme Court in Rockhampton. To us the change from Circuit Court or Assizes to Supreme Court may not mean much, but in 1896 it meant that bankruptcy and probate matters, which were then an important part of the Court’s business, could now be dealt with here rather than in Brisbane.
We can cast an eye over the passing parade of Central Judges who presided over criminal and civil trials in this room: Justices Lukin, Jamieson, Blair, Brennan, Sheehy, D M Campbell, Kelly and myself. We can recall the citizens who came as jurors and, in those days when Juries were locked up for the duration of the trial, who slept on palliasses in the corridors around the court. Then there were the witnesses upon whose testimony so much depended, and the court staff who contributed to the running of the enterprise and who ensured this was a court of record.
Today our celebration takes us through this broad sweep of the history of Central Queensland to focus on this unique event: the transition from courthouse to barristers’ chambers. Personally, I am delighted to see the building used in this way, for it keeps alive the purpose for which the building was built. That purpose was to facilitate the provision of justice according to law, and barristers-at-law, if the old phrase can be used, have an essential place in the provision of justice.
Consequently I want to mention those members of the Rockhampton Bar who practised in this building and have been appointed to judicial office. In doing this I am relying on my memory, and that is not the wisest thing to day.
Although his years of practice in Rockhampton were few, P D Connolly occupies such a prominent place in the history of the Queensland Bar and Bench that we must claim him.
Among those against whom I appeared at the bar were D K Derrington and F McGuire. Those who now serve on the Supreme Court are S G Jones and D V McMeekin. Those who serve on the District Court: R D Hall, K S Dodds, K J O’Brien, P J White, G T Britton, M P Irwin and B A Harrison. Those who serve as Magistrates: J Costello, J McGrath and C Prest.
Considering the size of the Rockhampton Bar, those numbers are very impressive, and it must in part be due to the judicial ambience that this dear old courtroom generates.
My sincere hope is that some of you who occupy chambers in this building will in due time receive judicial preferment. In the meantime, may your years in this building deepen your awareness of the collegial bond, which binds lawyers together, no matter where they serve the interests of justice.
Chief Justice, Mr Attorney, Justice McMeekin, Judge Britton, Magistrates Hennessey and Prest, Councillor Swadling, legal practitioners. Ladies and gentlemen, it is with warm delight that I declare that the Old Supreme Court Chambers are open to the service of justice.
The Honourable Alan Demack AO
Address by the Honourable Cameron Dick MP
Acknowledgments:
⢠The traditional owners of the land on which we meet — the Darumbal people — and their elders past and present
⢠The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Chief Justice of Queensland
⢠The Honourable Justice Duncan McMeekin, Central Judge
⢠The Honourable Alan Demack, former Central Judge
⢠His Honour Judge Grant Britton SC
⢠Magistrates Annette Hennessy and Cameron Press
⢠Cr Rose Swadling, Deputy Mayor, Rockhampton Regional Council
⢠Madeline Brennan
⢠Dan O’Gorman SC, of the Bar Association of Queensland
⢠Tenants of the Old Supreme Court Building
⢠Members of Rockhampton’s legal fraternity
⢠Ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here today to participate in the officials opening of these new barristers’ chambers on the site of the former Supreme Court of Queensland.
Some of you may not be aware that I married a Rocky girl, Therese Oxenham — so we are up here fairly regularly with our two boys to catch up with Therese’s family.
Of course, I won’t claim to be a local but I do feel some affinity with this city and this region as I am always made to feel very welcome whenever I come here — and today is no exception.
Regional Courts
This magnificent old building has served the Central Queensland community for more than a century — and will continue to serve the community in its new capacity.
Queensland’s courthouses — such as this building — have played significant roles in the history and development of rural and regional Queensland.
This particular building was developed in the 1880s and was a symbol of the city’s growing status as a major regional centre in Queensland, which had been a separate colony for a little over two decades at that point.
Courthouses such as this one were not only important because of their role in our justice system, but also because of what they symbolised about the development of a region.
Historically, the construction of a courthouse declared that a town or city was a significant population centre, was economically prosperous and often acted as a service centre for outlying communities.
By the time this building was completed in 1887, Supreme Court hearings had been occurring in the city for more than 20 years.
The first circuit sittings of the Supreme Court began in Rockhampton on 6 April 1863, a little over three years after Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony.
On this day, 18 men and 10 women were presented for trial.
Chief Justice Sir James Cockle, who heard the cases, congratulated the citizens of Rockhampton on the prosperity of their settlement.
He acknowledged that the appointment of the town as a circuit court would, in the words of the day, “greatly convenience the legal community”.
It must be said that the Rockhampton circuit would also have been of benefit to the broader community, not only for the convenience for defendants, witnesses and families, but also in bringing the justice system into the heart of the community it served.
Legal Profession in Regions
Furthermore, the construction of this building also reflected the growing expertise and importance of the legal fraternity in regional areas of Queensland.
As you are acutely aware, Queensland is the most decentralised state in Australia — with more than half the population living outside the capital city.
Substantial communities exist outside the south-east corner and they deserve — and demand — the same level of services available in the capital.
Fortunately, here in Rockhampton, there is a talented legal community that is capable of delivering the same, or better, levels of service that are available in Brisbane.
The local members of the Bar may be relatively small in number but they are certainly equal in talent to their big-city counterparts.
I know this from my own personal experience, having been beaten, and beaten badly, by local counsel in two trials in particular that I appeared in in the courts complex next door when I was at the Bar.
This is equally true for the entire legal fraternity here.
Recent judicial appointments reflect this — with local lawyer Cameron Press appointed as a magistrate in April, and Brian Harrison — who cut his teeth at the Bar here in Rockhampton — being appointed this year as the new District Court judge in Cairns.
Having top-level legal representation in major regional areas is critical to the effective operation of our courts and our justice system — and Rockhampton certainly punches above its weight, as it does in so many areas
Your contribution is vitally important — just as buildings such as these are vitally important.
But back to the history of the Old Supreme Court building.
Old Supreme Court Building
In 1885, designs for a Supreme Court building were completed and contractor Thomas Matthews began construction the following year, to a design by architect John James Clark.
The building was completed in mid 1887 for the contracted price of 12,553 pounds.
Having been used in the service of the law for most of the past 123 years, the old Rockhampton Supreme Court building has a rich and interesting history.
It has no doubt been witness to hundreds, if not thousands, of compelling cases — both criminal and civil.
One of the most famous cases to grace this courthouse occurred in 1891, when the Supreme Court in Rockhampton became the centre of national attention.
During that year, 14 shearers appeared in court charged with treason for their part in the shearers’ strike. Twelve were found guilty and sentenced to three years in jail.
As you may know, the shearers’ strike was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian Labor Party.
So, as a Labor Attorney-General of Queensland, I feel particularly privileged to be here to mark this new chapter in the history of this magnificent building.
With its opening in 1887, the building was used for circuit court work until the Supreme Court Act of 1895 allowed for the Supreme Court sittings to be held in both the Central and Northern Districts.
This paved the way for the first resident Judge of the Supreme Court in Rockhampton — Mr Justice Virgil Power, who was appointed in December 1895.
This building served justice in Central Queensland until 1998, when the new courthouse was built — and named after the city’s first resident judge.
In the past 12 years, Central Queensland University has used this building from time to time for lectures.
After this period of occasional use, it is fitting that this building is returning to its origins in the service of the law and the justice system, providing chambers for local barristers.
Aside from this symbolism, it is also an excellent way ensuring the viability and preservation of the building for future generations.
Housing so much of the legal history of Rockhampton, and providing barristers chambers into the future, it is in every sense a part of the city’s living heritage.
I congratulate those who have been involved in establishing these chambers in the old Supreme Court building, and it gives me great pleasure to attend today’s ceremony.
Thank you.
The Honourable Cameron Dick MP
Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations
Who dunnit?
A song to be sung to ‘Click go the Shears’
Year after year the citizens parade,
Called to serve on juries, justice for to aid,
Bemused and uncertain like the person in the dock;
The wise and kindly bailiff helps them all take stock:
‘Answer your names real loud and clear!
Stride boldly forward and you’ll have naught to fear.
The judge is a friendly chap, the barristers are great.
The case is one that shouldn’t keep you out too late.’
Now in the court the barrister stands,
Holding the brief in such strong supple hands,
Marshalled every fact as all the questions show.
The witness hardly notices the knock-out blow.
‘Don’t answer that!’ comes the voice of the judge.
‘My ruling is clear, and I’m not going to budge.’
The prosecutor’s chuckle is soft but clearly heard.
The jury takes a liking to this theatre absurd.
The windows in the walls let the sunlight flow right in,
Exposing every weakness where the evidence is thin.
The accused raises eyebrows with the story that is told.
The prospect of confession makes the prosecutor bold.
‘Don’t answer that,’ says the wise judicial voice.
‘Surely you mean the victim gave you little choice!
I can’t hear your story and sit upon the fence.
I never saw a clearer case of self-defence!’
Cheering in the gallery – it’s time to have a treat:
Lime juice to gargle, sticky buns to eat.
Ever known an outcome so generally praised?
Yet counsel for the defendant is completely unfazed.
‘Just as I planned it!’ he modestly said.
We thought the judge solved it – he claims the win instead.
‘You listened to my questions, so you will all agree:
An obvious conclusion even a judge could see!’
The Song of Tim the Termite
May be sung to the tune of ‘The Old Bark Hut’
My name is Tim the termite, before you all I stand.
I’ve fed off public buildings across this wide brown land.
I took my education in schools where kids are taught,
But there’s none as is so learned as Rocky’s Supreme Court.
As Rocky’s Supreme Court, as Rocky’s Supreme Court –
There’s none as is so learned as Rocky’s Supreme Court.
I’ve ate my fill in primary schools, universities as well.
I’ve nibbled through the rafters until the ceiling fell –
Enjoyed the tastes and varnishes, all of a luscious sort –
But there’s none as is so tasty as Rocky’s Supreme Court.
As Rocky’s Supreme Court, as Rocky’s Supreme Court –
There’s none as is so tasty as Rocky’s Supreme Court.
I’ve been through many a School of Arts, heard Melba sing farewell
If you’ve got time to listen, I’ve many tales to tell.
I’ve burrowed in a wharf or two where flathead have been caught,
But there’s nothing at all fishy about Rocky’s Supreme Court.
About Rocky’s Supreme Court, about Rocky’s Supreme Court –
There’s nothing at all fishy about Rocky’s Supreme Court.
You may have heard the ceiling’s gone; it isn’t really missed;
The front door too, but it’s upon a jolly Heritage List.
The windows tend to blow in – it is the Storm King’s sport –
Things are always bright and breezy in Rocky’s Supreme Court.
In Rocky’s Supreme Court, in Rocky’s Supreme Court –
Things are always bright and breezy in Rocky’s Supreme Court.
The citizens who come to serve as jurors in a trial,
As they foregather in the sun put on a cheerful smile.
Though creaking floors and clunking doors the evidence distort,
That’s the adversarial system in Rocky’s Supreme Court.
In Rocky’s Supreme Court, in Rocky’s Supreme Court –
That’s the adversarial system in Rocky’s Supreme Court.
When the air conditioning’s on the blink, you have to fight for breath.
If it ever rains on the roof again the noise could make you deaf.
But justice is the outcome if the case is fairly fought,
So we’ve termites holding hands to keep up Rocky’s Supreme Court.
Oh, Rocky’s Supreme Court, yes Rocky’s Supreme Court –
We’ve termites holding hands to keep up Rocky’s Supreme Court.
(This song is published posthumously. Tim died some years ago as the result of persistent fumigation. His executors assure prospective users of the Rockhampton Supreme Court that termite activity in the building has ceased.)
