Page 170 - Week 01 - Thursday, 15 February 1990
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In 1976, Mr Justice Yuill was appointed a member of the Family Law Council which has the function of advising the Attorney-General on the workings of the Family Law Act and other family law legislation. Mr Justice Yuill was appointed a judge of the Family Court of Australia in the ACT and New South Wales in 1977, and that culminated years of constant contribution to the development of family law in this country.
As we know, sadly, His Honour died suddenly on 10 February. He is survived by his wife, Joan, and stepson, Martin. A court ceremonial service was held for Mr Justice Yuill yesterday at the Family Court and was attended by many dignitaries.
Mr Justice Yuill was a highly respected member of the profession, and no doubt his wise counsel will be sorely missed. On behalf of the ACT Government, I offer condolences to his wife, Joan, and stepson, Martin. It was particularly poignant that I should have had an amusing and idiosyncratic exchange of correspondence with Gordon Yuill only a few weeks ago in relation to a proposition which he put to me and which I referred to my colleague Mr Duby. I would like to read this into the record because it displays his character and the type of person he was - humane, yet august, and at the same time interested in the smaller affairs of mankind. He wrote to me on 10 January as follows:
Dear Collaery,
You have probably never walked to the Family Court or Children's Court from Civic Centre. If you had done so, you would doubtless have walked, as most do, on the Workers' Club side of University Avenue after crossing Marcus Clark Street. You would have got on to a narrow strip of concrete, and been forced off from time to time by University students and others coming the other way, or by bicycles.
I do not think persons using these courts should have to be jostled off a narrow footpath. True it is that there is a good path the other side of the road, but it is little used.
Would you be so kind as to use your good offices to have someone do something about up-grading the footpath. Even concreting the untidy strip between the path and the Workers Club building would be a help.
Yours faithfully,
Gordon Yuill, Judge.
PS: If you had ever been knocked down by a bicycle and injured, the only recourse you
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