The Victorian Bar's Art and Collections committee oversees the commission of portraits of the Bar's illuminaries past and present as well as the maintenance, cataloguing and display of the Bar's art collection and artefacts. The Bar's portrait collection is located in the Peter O'Callaghan QC Gallery in the foyer of the Owen Dixon Chambers East and West.
Jeff Sher QC
Jeff Sher was born on 26 May 1936. He was admitted to practice on 1 May 1958, signed the Bar Roll on 1 February 1961 and took silk in 1975. Jeff practised law for just over 48 years - over 45 years at the Bar and 30 of those years as a silk.
Sher QC was the silk of renown at the Victorian Bar, indeed, he had a high profile Australia wide. He was a formidable opponent and a brilliant advocate. Peers variously describe him as tenacious, robust, no pretensions, hardworking, bullet proof, warrior like, down to the task, charming, disarming and humorous. In August 2003, 42 years after signing the Bar Roll, Sher was anointed, along with others, as a Living Legend of the Bar.
He had a reputation for competence and for being relentless in the manner in which he ran his trials. His cross-examination thrilled and was once described as follows: "Sher hit a nerve, and without the benefit of anesthetic, he drilled deeper."
Sher QC’s long career at the Bar was marked by its breadth and diversity. He moved between the criminal and civil jurisdictions with ease. His practice encompassed a wide range of areas took him to all courts from the Magistrates Court through to the High Court.
In crime, he appeared in rape cases, murders, stabbings with intent to murder, attempted murders, conspiracy to murder, larceny, drink driving, dangerous driving, culpable driving, armed robbery, bribery, arson, assault and false imprisonment cases. Among his high-profile criminal matters, was the murder trial of painter and docker Billy Longley.
He was briefed for plaintiffs in major personal injuries cases, winning in 1978 the highest damages award made by the Victorian Supreme Court for personal injury. This was followed soon after with the highest settlement awarded to a plaintiff under the age of 18 in Victoria.
In the civil law, he appeared in all types of matters - corporate, sporting, estates, for newspapers resisting attempts to silence the press, in Royal Commissions and inquiries. He developed an unequalled defamation practice.
In the commercial jurisdiction, he appeared in high-profile cases, including the National Companies and Securities Commission inquiry into cross shareholdings between Elders and BHP and the battle between Rupert Murdoch and Robert Holmes a Court for the Herald & Weekly Times Ltd.
Sher QC was also senior counsel for the Northern Land Council, in cases including the Kenbi land claim in the Cox Peninsula area, the land claim by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people for the Katherine Gorge and a challenge to mining agreements for the Ranger uranium deposits.
Jeff Sher QC retired on 30 June 2008. His portrait was commissioned by his family to celebrate his retirement and was gifted to the Bar in 2019.
Lianne Gough - Artist
Lianne Gough was born in 1954 in Perth, Western Australia. She was educated in Australia and the United States of America. In 1976 she received a Diploma of Art and Design (Gordon Institute of Technology, Geelong), and in 1977 was awarded an Arts Council Scholarship for postgraduate studies at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture (USA). She returned to Geelong and has continued her painting practice, doing commissioned works for public and private collectors, exhibiting and teaching;
Gough's paintings have a singular vision. There is emotional impact and vigour in the uncompromising way they deal with the physical reality of bodies, both as objects and in relation to environment and each other. Gough's drawing and brushwork is not afraid to be simple - but there are 'bones' in the drawing and her colour is masterly and bold. Neither overworked nor underworked, this is figurative painting in full life, constantly evolving.
This is very evident in her portrait of Jeff Sher QC.
Robert Richter QC and Philip Dunn QC
Robert Richter QC and Philip Dunn QC are legends of the Victorian Bar and leaders of the Australian Criminal Bar.
In 1994, Richter and Dunn represented Detectives Lockwood and Avon who were charged with the murder of Gary Abdallah. Police suspected that Abdallah supplied the stolen car used to lure two young police officers, Steven Tynan and Damien Eyre, to their deaths in Walsh Street, South Yarra. Lockwood and Avon arrested Abdallah and took him to his Drummond Street flat. The prosecution case was that they executed him. Lockwood said Abdallah pulled a .357 magnum on him when he momentarily turned away. Lockwood fired 6 shots from his own revolver and then grabbed Avon's revolver and fired one shot more.
Martin Tighe's painting depicts Richter and Dunn as they were at the Bar table in Court 4 of the Supreme Court of Victoria, just before Richter's final address to the jury. They are checking Lockwood's revolver. Richter will shortly demonstrate that it took only 1.6 seconds to fire the shots. It is a moment of tense stillness before a dramatic recreation. The chiaroscuro isolates the two advocates in the darkness of the trial. Both Lockwood and Avon were acquitted.
Robert Richter was born on 13 February 1946 in Kyrgyzstan. Richter arrived in Australia when he was 13 years old with little or no English. It has been reported that he taught himself English with the aid of television programs and dictionaries. Richter was called to the Bar in 1971. Richter has been President of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties and a part-time Commissioner for the Law Reform Commission of Victoria. He was appointed silk on 26 November 1985.
Philip Dunn was called to the Bar in 1969. He has been Chairman of the Addiction Research Institute and a member of the Lord Mayor's Drug Advisory Committee. Philip is a teacher with the Australian Advocacy Institute and the Victorian New Barristers Committee and regularly lectures on advocacy and related topics throughout Australia. He was appointed silk on 5 December 1995.
The artist Martin Tighe has built a career focusing on stories important to Australia’s culture and identity. He has painted a number of Australian barristers. Martin uses many different media in his artwork including traditional materials such as oil, acrylics and bronze and found objects such as scoreboard numbers, timber cut-offs and flat iron. Martin exhibits frequently in both individual and group exhibitions and is a regular entrant and finalist in the Archibald Prize.
The portrait was commissioned by the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery Foundation of the Victorian Bar.
Martin Tighe - Artist
The artist Martin Tighe has built a career focusing on stories important to Australia’s culture and identity. He has painted a number of Australian barristers. Martin uses many different media in his artwork including traditional materials such as oil, acrylics and bronze and found objects such as scoreboard numbers, timber cut-offs and flat iron. Martin exhibits frequently in both individual and group exhibitions and is a regular entrant and finalist in the Archibald Prize.
The portrait was commissioned by the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery Foundation of the Victorian Bar.
Francine McNiff
Francine McNiff practised as a criminal barrister for 23 years from 1987 until illness prevented her continuing in 2010. She transferred to the List of Retired Counsel in 2014 and died in April 2015.
McNiff was 32 years old when she was admitted to legal practice in 1980, after 10 years as an academic and policymaker. In 1983, she was appointed as a stipendiary magistrate in the Children’s Court. This was the State of Victoria’s first appointment of a woman judicial officer. At the time, The Age newspaper’s law reporter, Garry Sturgess, enthused that: “Three of the most shunned attributes in judicial appointees – youth, femininity and reformist attitudes – have suddenly bobbed up in one person”. The Bar’s portrait was painted from one of the photos taken for that article. McNiff’s red hair and green eyes are striking. Her mouth is pursed as if holding back one of those “reformist attitudes”.
McNiff is celebrated as a benefactor of Monash University (her alma mater and where she became a sub-dean) and the University of Melbourne (where she taught). Towards the end of her life, she established a Chair in Human Rights in the Law School and a Chair in Criminology in the Faculty of Arts as well as scholarships, in her parents’ names, for doctoral research in medical jurisprudence: all at the University of Melbourne. This generosity was matched on her death by her bequest to Monash University, which has funded a Chair in Criminal Jurisprudence in the Law School and a scholarship to support PhD students studying criminology in the Faculty of Arts.
McNiff, who was known to drink copious cups of black tea with lemon and chain smoke menthol cigarettes during her trials, was also a technophobe, shunning mobile phones and emails. She famously penned her own death notice two years before her death and faxed it to Ron Tait, a great friend and executor of her estate with Brett Tait. Mr Tait honoured her wishes and published it at the appropriate time. It read: “I have ceased to exist – Francine”. The Victorian Bar’s notice succinctly captured her life’s purpose, stating: “She lived for the law”.
The portrait of Francine McNiff has been generously gifted to the Bar by the Hon Betty King QC. The artist is unknown.
Max Perry
Max Perry completed his law degree at the University of Melbourne in 1975. In May 1976, he was admitted to practice when only 22 years old. A few months later, he was called to the Bar and read with the late Frederick James. Max practises predominantly in criminal law. He is a highly respected member of the Bar who serves his clients, opponents and the bench with candour, honour and distinction.
Max is a modest and humble man who has made a name for himself in his own way. When Max was honoured as a Living Legend of the Bar in 2003 he was described by Justice Goldberg as being “in a class of his own”.
Max has shown a tireless commitment to educating and mentoring young lawyers and barristers by spending much of his time teaching at the Leo Cussen Centre for Law and the University of Melbourne and personally mentoring an extraordinary number of barristers: Amanda Glaister, his Honour Magistrate Barry Schultz, Graeme Cantwell, Andrew McKenry, Diana Manova, Dr Cynthia Holland, John Munro, the list goes on, Campbell Hangay, Cameron Baker, Natalie Burnett, Ricky Iomea, Erin Hill and Chiry Chen.
Max is not one to mince his words. In an article written about him in the Victorian Bar News in the Summer of 2011, it was reported that if one were to call Max’s mobile phone and he did not answer, the caller would hear a message “I have either died or been arrested. If you leave your name and a number and a detailed greeting, I will in all probability not get back to you, but neither of us will care. Perry”.
Martin Tighe - Artist
The artist is Martin Tighe. Tighe has built a career focusing on stories important to Australia’s culture and identity. He has painted a number of Australian barristers: Ted Hill, a barrister and communist activist; Julian McMahon, the barrister who defended the Bali Nine; Brian Bourke AC, who defended the last person to be legally executed in Australia; the portrait of Robert Richter QC and A Dunn AC which was commissioned by the Victorian Bar and hangs in the Gallery; and now the portrait of Max Perry.
Martin uses many different media in his artwork including traditional materials such as oil, acrylics and bronze and found objects such as scoreboard numbers, timber cut-offs and flat iron.
Martin exhibits frequently in both individual and group exhibitions and is a regular entrant and finalist in the Archibald Prize.
The portrait has been generously gifted to the Bar by Max Perry’s family.
The Honourable Betty King QC
The Honourable Justice King studied law at the University of Melbourne, graduating with Honours in 1974. She came to the Bar in 1975, and established a formidable practice in criminal law. In 1986, she was appointed the first female prosecutor in the State of Victoria, and later became the first female barrister to prosecute cases on behalf of the Commonwealth. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel for the State of Victoria in 1992. In 2020, Justice King was appointed a Judge of the County Court of Victoria where she served the State of Victoria as a Judge of that Court until she was appointed to the trial division of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2005. Justice King served on the bench until her retirement in 2015.
Raelene Sharpe - Artist
This portrait was painted by Raelene Sharpe and gifted by Justice King to the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery. Sharp is an Archibald Prize Finalist and Archibald Packing Room Prize Winner (2012). She has won the third richest portrait prize in Australia – The Shirley Hannon National Portrait Prize – in 2006. She has been included in the Salon International USA twice, the Archibald Salon de Rufuse and received a First Merit in the Portrait Society of America’s annual Exhibition
The Honourable Alec Southwell QC
The Honourable Alec James Southwell QC – nick-named “Ginger” was born on 1 November 1926. He gave a long and distinguished service to the people of Victoria, the legal profession, the judiciary and the Courts.
He was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School and at the University of Melbourne. After completing first-year Law, he served in the Royal Australian Naval Reserve from 1944-46, seeing service in New Guinea and Morotai. He graduated with an LLB in 1949; served Articles with Alan Benjamin; and was admitted to practice in March 1951. He came straight to the Bar, signing the Roll in May 1951 and reading with Ben Dunn (later a County Court, then Supreme Court Judge).
Southwell had a varied practice and became a dominant figure in Common Law and Personal Injuries, serving some years on the Juries Subcommittee of the Bar Practice Committee and other Committees including as a Bar appointee to the Legal Aid Committee. He had 5 Readers and took Silk in 1968.
His Honour served 10 years as a Judge of the County Court from 1969-79 in the course of which he also conducted three important Inquiries: into the Teaching Service; and two Courts of Marine Inquiry. He then served 18 years as a Judge of the Supreme Court. At the time of his retirement in 1997, he was believed to be Australia's longest-serving judge after 28 years. He then served a further 5 years as a Reserve Judge.
Alec Southwell was an outstanding sportsman. As a cricketer, he played in the First XI at Melbourne Grammar; earned a half-blue as a member of the University team; and played District Cricket, and for the Bar. He was elected to the Committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club and served from 1979-97, as Vice-President from 1988-97. He was Vice-Commodore of the Sorrento Sailing Club and Captain of the Sorrento Golf Club. He played tennis and pennant squash and billiards.
In 2014 and 2016, he moved the admission of his granddaughters, Sarah and Katherine Southwell, with Sarah as his junior for Katherine’s admission.
The Honourable Alec James ("Ginger") Southwell QC died on 26 January 2018, at the age of 91.
The portrait is a gift from his children Kay and Pet er. In it he is wearing his County Court robes. The artist is unknown.
William Ah Ket
William Ah Ket was born in country Victoria and studied law at the University of Melbourne. His legal career commenced as an articled clerk in 1898 at Maddock & Jamieson. In 1902, he won the Supreme Court Judge’s Prize, and was admitted to practice the following year. Ah Ket signed the Bar Roll in 1904, and became the first Australian lawyer of Chinese descent to practice as a barrister in the State of Victoria. His practice at the Bar was predominately in civil law, and he appeared in many cases involving issues of the welfare or well-being of the general public. During his professional career, Ah Ket also spent time as a diplomat, serving as acting consul-general for China in 1913-1914 and again in 1917. He retired from practice in March 1936.
This photograph was taken by an unknown photographer circa. 1904, and has been gifted to the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery by the descendants of William Ak Ket, namely, the Ah Ket, Wood and Hing families.
Julian McMahon AC KC
Julian McMahon comes from a NSW Riverina farming family. He received a Jesuit education in Sydney, then came to Melbourne to study Law and Classics at Melbourne University. His first job was as a tutor in Classics, whilst studying a Masters in Byzantine History. After a few years as a solicitor in private practice and in the Office of Public Prosecutions he was called to the Bar in 1998.
In December 2002, as a very junior barrister, he took a call from the distraught mother of 20 year Van Tuong Ngyuen, who had been arrested in Singapore, carrying 20 grams of heroin. The charge carried a mandatory death sentence. McMahon took on the case pro bono and brought in Lex Lasry QC. For the next 3 years they, with Singaporean solicitors, fought for Van’s life; first, through the judicial system and, when that failed, through diplomatic channels. Van was executed by hanging on December 10 2005.[1]
McMahon has not stopped working for prisoners on death row and agitating for the end of the death sentence in those countries which still have it.
In April 2005, nine Australians were arrested in Bali for trafficking heroin. By 2006, the ringleaders, Mayuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, had been sentenced to death. McMahon and Lasry took on their appeals. For the next decade they, with a team of Australian and Indonesian lawyers and diplomats, fought to save Sukumaran and Chan’s lives. Sukumaran and Chan were executed by firing squad on 29 April 2015.
Julian McMahon was Victoria’s nominee Australian of the Year in 2016. In 2017, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia “for eminent service to the law and the legal profession, through pro bono representation of defendants in capital punishment cases overseas, as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty, and to human rights and social justice reform”. He also received an Honorary Doctorate from the Australian Catholic University and was made Silk, in 2017.
Mayuran Sukumaran (1981 –2015)
Mayuran Sukumaran learned to paint in Kerobokan Prison, Bali, Indonesia while on Death Row. He was taught by Australian artists Ben Quilty (winner of the Archibald Prize 2011 and Official War artist 2011 - 2012) and Matthew Sleeth, who visited the prison to support Chan and Sukumaran. The influence of his mentor, Quilty can be seen in the strong colours and ferocious brush work in this early work (2013).
[1] Van Ngyuen’s story was rold in Better Man is an Australian television biopic mini-series which originally screened on SBS TV in July 2013. Julian McMahon was played by David Wenham and Lex Lasry QC was played by Bryan Brown.
Frank Costigan QC
1931 – 2009
Frank Costigan studied law at the University of Melbourne. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1953 and became a barrister in 1957. He built a substantial practice over the next 30 years, developing a specialty in workers’ compensation matters. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1973 and was chairman of the Victorian Bar in 1977. In 1980, Costigan was appointed by the Australian Government to chair the Royal Commission on the activities of the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union, which investigated organised crime and tax evasion. He also chaired the anti-corruption agency, Transparency International in Australia.
JH Spooner
Spooner is an Australian journalist and illustrator who is a regular contributor to Melbourne’s The Age newspaper. Spooner is a graduate in law from Monash University and practised as a lawyer for several years before commencing to work for the Age.
Spooner has won many awards for excellence including Walkley Awards for cartoon illustrations.