The week before Christmas,30 lawyers – all alumni of the University of Auckland’s law school – gathered at Auckland’s Northern Club to celebrate 50 years in the profession.
The Class of 1970 and their teachers
For many in the Class of 1970, who were all admitted to the bar that year, it was the first time they’d met or spoken in years. They acknowledged those who had died since their last reunion (Michael Harte, Keith Goddard, Chum McLeay and John Haigh), and commiserated with those unable to attend because of Covid travel restrictions. Then they celebrated, reminisced, reflected and wondered where all the years had gone. One alumnus, Judge John Adams, presented a poem, written especially for the event.
Sir Anand Satyanand
Guest speaker, former judge, ombudsman and Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, was one of them – a member of the Class of 1970. Sir Anand recalled the old Pembridge building on Princes St, which had “seen better days”, where lectures were held, and the old prefab out the back which housed the law library. He recalled that 1970 was “the watershed of much change” in the profession. The old solicitors’ qualifications had been removed, and exciting new courses were emerging at law school. And there was a growing emphasis on fulltime study.
Sir Anand also paid tribute to law professors Bernard Brown and Ken Palmer, whose work “was symbolic of a new approach…. with many more women entering the ranks of law school students and much improved emphasis on content in the degree”.
Professor Bernard Brown and Lady Susan Satyanand
The class was in the fortunate position of having a surplus from the reunion fund and thoughtfully donated that money ($661) to the ADLS Members Special Fund. The convenor of the MSF committee, Paul Collins, said it was a lovely gesture and most gratifying in an era when the MSF is strapped for income.
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