Thursday 10th October 2019
Tributes for Judge
"It was a privilege to call him a mate"
Cairns’ legal community is mourning the loss of Judge Brian Harrison,
who is being remembered as a 'dear friend' who had a wicked sense of humour
.
Thursday 10th October 2019
Tributes for Judge
"It was a privilege to call him a mate"
Cairns’ legal community is mourning the loss of Judge Brian Harrison,
who is being remembered as a 'dear friend' who had a wicked sense of humour
| Magistrate Damien Dwyer paid tribute to his dear friend Judge Brian Harrison during an emotional speech in Mackay Magistrates Court this morning Sadly Judge Harrison passed away from ill health yesterday afternoon The former Mackay barrister will be remembered as an excellent judge, who was a bit of a larrikin with a wicked sense of humour and 'insatiable love of the underdog' Judge Harrison practised at the bar in Mackay for nineteen years before he was appointed to the bench in Cairns on February 22 2010 where he remained until his retirement last year "It was just a privilege to call him a mate" former Mackay MP Tim Mulherin said "He was a chamber mate of mine for some fifteen years and a dear friend" Mr Dwyer said before endorsing and reading out remarks made by Justice James Henry at today’s Cairns Supreme Court sitting His legal career spans five decades after initially learning his craft as a solicitor with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service and Legal Aid Judge Harrison built a formidable practice in personal injury law in Mackay and was keenly involved in the social and sporting life in the region He became similarly involved in the Cairns community after he moved there to take up his appointment in the District Court "Brian’s long experience in the law and his appreciation of the human condition made him an excellent judge" Justice Henry said "His insight and understanding often saw him identify and simplify the desired outcome of a legal problem well before the outcome was within practical reach This was an invaluable quality in confronting and explaining legal problems, though perhaps the source of occasional frustration to him in managing court lists" Justice Henry said Judge Harrison "had the common touch, eschewing any drift to grandiosity He communicated with ease to laypersons such as jurors, witnesses and defendants, in ways they would understand" he said "If they were attentive, they may have detected the straight-faced interspersing of dry humour among his remarks His sense of humour was notorious, involving a mix of Australian larrikinism and the Irish mischief, coloured by resistance to pomp and pretence and an insatiable love of the underdog" Judge Harrison’s ill health ushered him away from the bench sooner than expected "but the bench, the profession and the community were all the better for his service as a judge The court records its sincerest condolences to Brian’s loved ones including those well known to the court community, his wife Rampai and daughter Siobhan" Justice Henry said |
