“Comic genius” is one way District Court Judge Alexander “Sandy” Horneman-Wren was described at his valedictory ceremony in Brisbane this morning.
This description by District Court Chief Judge Brian Devereux was proved correct, as the retiring judicial officer had the Banco Court chuckling at his trademark humour when he reflected on his more than three decades in law.
Chief Judge Devereux said his colleague’s humour was coupled with a generosity of spirit, and this was a theme of His Honour’s conduct throughout his roles which included Deputy President of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), Judge of the Planning and Environment Court, and Judge of the Children’s Court.
A tribute from Attorney-General Deb Frecklington outlined this history, which included His Honour being called to the bar in 1993, then taking silk in 2009.
“Your Honour’s written judgements and sentencing remarks are renowned for their precision, efficiency, legal soundness and for their ability to slip in an elegant turn of phrase,” she said.
“Perhaps more surprising is your honour’s ability to reference Australian soap operas. I believe you once admonished a group of young men involved in public fight over a former partner by telling them ‘This is not Summer Bay’.”
QLS President Rebecca Fogerty said to call the Rockhampton-born-and-raised judge “town proud” was probably an understatement, and his regional engagement embodied his dedication to the profession.
“Solicitors who brief you described you as calm, unfailingly polite, and in a sadly underrated but important trait, capable of being terrifically funny in a stressful situation,” she said.
“It is evident that you have made a mark on the legal landscape and discharged your oath with impartiality, independence, rationality, and fairness.”
Retiring Judge Horneman-Wren
His Honour began his farewell speech by expressing his pride at the advancement of women in the profession over his career.
“For me, it has been a great privilege to have been part of a generation of lawyers who have seen this inevitable reality take hold,” he said.
He then thanked those who attended the ceremony and those who spoke about him.
“When I was preparing this speech and reflecting upon what might have been my greatest achievements in my legal career since coming to the bar more than three decades ago, the best I could come up with was that I had maintained the same suit size,” he said.
“I always wanted to time my retirement from the bench such that the news of it might evoke the response of ‘Oh my god’ rather than ‘Praise the Lord’.
“I am not so vain as to believe that all of you who are here fall within the ‘Oh my god’ and not the ‘Praise the Lord’ camp.
“But whatever camp you fall in, I thank you for coming along because you’ve all swelled the numbers to respectability.
“And in that regard, I particularly thank any of you who were thoughtful enough to have brought along a date.”
His Honour reminisced about his days as an articled clerk who was spellbound when he witnessed barristers in action, as well as his days many years later in a hectic QCAT.
“Apart from the fact that I remain convinced the footy tipping competition was rigged against me, such that I would send emails of complaint on a weekly basis for five months of every year – on one occasion I even petitioned for a board of inquiry, chaired by me – my time there will remain of special importance to me,” he said.
He also spoke of the his time as a Judge of the Childrens Court, where drugs and abuse of many types had marred the lives of so many who appeared before him.
“If we as a caring, humane, and responsible society do not address the underlying societal issues that lead to offending, no slogan-based solutions will ever prove effective,” he said.
“In that regard, I wish to express publicly the respect and admiration I have for those dedicated and hard-working youth justice workers – the assistance you provided me in court in sentencing young people was invaluable, as is the support and assistance you provide these young people trying to navigate themselves through a complex and prejudicial world not of their making.”
His Honour told of his delight of working in a regional court where judicial officers worked cheek by jowl with registry staff, as well as his love for AFL team Collingwood, a sausage sizzle, his 12 associates, and cups of tea.
But the highest praise he reserved for his family, to whom he said “I’m all yours”.
“It’s just a pity that none of the offspring reside at home any more. In fact, the fact of my perpetual presence may explain why two of you have recently chosen to flee the jurisdiction to the UK,” he said.
“To you all, I’m sorry for the absences. It all changes now. Get ready for endless, boring and sometimes outraged emails. I may even work out how to use ‘InstaSnap’.”
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