Description
“… an invaluable contribution to the little known and understood but vital role played by them in the history of a troubled nation.”
– The Hon Michael F. Adams QC
“This is an important book, because the information it provides is not available elsewhere in convenient form. It is well-researched and illustrated with photographs. It is a riveting and enjoyable read for a general audience, as well as for lawyers and persons with connections with PNG for whom it will strike various chords.” –Nicholas Cowdery AO QC FAAL
This unique and enjoyable book tells the story of the day-to-day life of a criminal circuit lawyer, Kerry Dillon, some 50 years ago in a country where many people lived as generations before had lived back into the mists of time. As a young criminal lawyer employed in the Office of the Public Solicitor, WA Lalor, in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, Kerry travelled the country on Supreme Court criminal circuits from 1969 to 1971, appearing as counsel for Indigenous people accused of serious criminal offences. Written as a chronicle, this account features descriptions of criminal cases in major centres and in remote places only accessible by small planes. It depicts the clash of cultures as Australian criminal law was introduced, and there is valuable material on the application of the rule of law in the emerging nation. – From the Foreword by The Hon Michael F. Adams QC
“The extent of your research provides a fascinating insight into the politics and our involvement in PNG as it sat on the cusp of independence.” –Sean Flood, retired judicial officer and public defender
About the author: Raised on a farm on Bruny Island, Tasmania, Kerry Dillon studied law and has had many important legal roles in Australia and overseas. He was first a defence counsel in the Public Solicitor’s Office, Papua New Guinea 1969–71. Subsequently he became a magistrate in Hong Kong; State Director of the Australian Legal Aid Office (ALAO) Tasmania; Assistant Director of the Legal Aid Commission Queensland; State Director of ALAO New South Wales; and held many other appointments before returning to advocacy and practice at the bar. He now lives in Queensland.
