A Radical Tory: Garfield Barwick's Reflections and Recollections (1995)
| Author | Gary A Rumble |
| DOI | 10.1177/0067205X9502300210 |
| Published date | 01 June 1995 |
| Date | 01 June 1995 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
ARADICAL TORY: GARFIELD BARWICK'S REFLECTIONS
AND
RECOLLECTIONS (1995)
Gary
ARumble*
Garfield
Edward
John Barwick,
born
on
22 June 1903, is
undoubtedly
one of
the
most
important
Australians of
the
century. As counsel, Barwick
had
an
important
role
in
the
landmark
cases
in
the
High
Court
and
the
Privy Council in the 1940s
and
the
1950s. As
Attorney-General for the
Commonwealth
through
1958 to 1963,
he
was
involved
in
initiatives
in
matrimonial
causes,
company
law
and
trade
practices. Sir Garfield's
career also
included
service as Minister for External Affairs (1961-1964).
This
book
of his recollections
and
reflections
has
aclarity
and
force
which
come
in
part
from
its simplicity of style
and
in
part
from the personality of the author. It
provides
an
important
historical record of Sir Garfield's view of a
number
of key events
in
Australian
history -especially Australian legal history. It also
provides
insight into
the
philosophy
and
values of this influential Australian lawyer.
In
many
ways
it is Sir Garfield's description of his formative years
and
his
twenty
or
so
years
in
practice before
he
rose to prominence as apractitioner
which
gives
the
most
interesting insights into his
approach
to
the
practice
and
development
of law. In
an
early chapter, Sir Garfield sets
out
some of the family
background
to,
and
the
key
elements of, his values:
My
mother,
aWesleyan Methodist,
attended
the
Bourke Street
Methodist
Mission,
and
I
regularly
attended
its
Sunday
school
in
Flinders Street, Darlinghurst. The
Methodist
Church
conducted
Statewide
annual
examinations
in
biblical
knowledge
in
which
I
regularly
competed. I
won
many
prizes,
nearly
always
books -
biography,
travel
or
adventure.
Among
these prizes
were
two
volumes
of
which
Ibecame
very
fond.
My
reading
of
them
may
have
stimulated
or
at
least fortified
my
interest
in
government
and
my
desire
to become alawyer.
They
were
biographies
of
Abraham
Lincoln
and
James
Garfield,
both
by
Thayer. Each of these
men
was
a
lawyer
and
each
became
President
of
the
United
States
...
Both came from
humble
circumstances
and
succeeded
by
their
own
efforts.
Of
the
two
men, I
think
Lincoln attracted
me
most. Istill
regard
him
as a
very
great
man
and
his
recorded
sayings as wise.
These
books
told
that
self-help
and
whole-hearted
application to
the
daily
task
could
lead
to
prominence
and
success
in
life. They
taught
me
that
lack
of
money
did
not
prevent
the
full
use
of
what
talents
one
possessed.1
*
1
BA/LLB (ANU),
PhD
(ANU); Barrister
and
Solicitor of
the
Supreme
Court
of
the
Australian
Capital Territory.
Sir Garfield Barwick, A
Radical
Tory:
Garfield
Barwick's
Reflections
and
Recollections
(1995)
at
4-5.
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