Vale – John Bailey

John was the son of Henry Stephen Bailey and Louise Keeble and grew up in the Western Districts of Victoria. His father Henry was a long-standing member of the ALP and became inter alia Attorney-General of Victoria, an office he held between 1938 and 1943. Henry’s commitment to social justice and fair work practices was passed onto his son John.

John studied law at the University of Melbourne and later undertook post graduate studies in International Law at Cambridge University. John was admitted to practice in Victoria on 1 June 1962. On 21 June 1962 he was called to the Bar.

In the late 1960s, John joined the Department of Foreign Affairs. He worked on the Law of the Sea as his speciality, under its head Sir Kenneth Bailey. His first posting was as Third Secretary in Vietnam.

John left the Bar in 1970, to work under Sir Kenneth at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s department. He was heavily involved in the formation of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, of signal significance to our nation both then and now.

He married in 1972, and his beloved daughter was born in 1974.

In 1981 he was appointed Deputy High Commissioner to Canada for four years, and in 1986 he was assigned to the OECD in Paris. John later returned to Vietnam and set up a commercial consultancy firm which he operated in both Hanoi and Paris.

John later returned to Melbourne with his partner Arm to whom he remained committed for the remainder of his life. He subsequently became a registered Conciliator.