Page 206 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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This morning we extend our deepest sympathy to Mr Madden’s wife, Katie, to his sons, David, Peter and Phillip, and to their extended families.
MR COE (Yerrabi—Leader of the Opposition) (10.04): I too rise to express condolences on behalf the opposition at the passing of former magistrate Mr Shane Madden—a passionate advocate for the sporting community, for youth, for Indigenous communities and for the city at large. He served this city with distinction and we are all very grateful.
Mr Madden distinguished himself in the legal community, prior to his appointment to the Magistrates Court, when he worked for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. He was later part of the senior leadership team of the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions when it was formed in 1991 under Ken Crispin QC.
In December of 1996 he crossed to the other side of the courtroom and served as a magistrate until he retired in July 2009 after nearly 13 years of dedicated service as part of the judiciary. During his time on the bench, Mr Madden continued to be a very prominent and notable figure, leading the coronial inquest into the Royal Canberra Hospital implosion in 1997; acting as the first Children’s Court magistrate from December 1999 through to February 2002; and as the inaugural Ngambra circle sentencing magistrate. At his retirement in 2009, then Attorney-General Simon Corbell said of him:
Magistrate Madden proved himself to be a just, wise and well-respected judicial officer who is esteemed by both other legal professionals and those who appeared before him in the courts. He will be admired for his many years of ongoing service to the ACT court system.
Mr Madden was also a passionate rugby fan, with the ACT Brumbies bestowing on him life membership in 2008. He was a level 1 certified referee and coach with the Rugby Union, officiating at more than 300 games in ACT senior competitions, in addition to schoolboys’, juniors’ and women’s tournaments. I understand that he is the second most capped referee in ACT rugby history.
He also lent his judicial services to the ACT Rugby Union judiciary from 1987 through to 2009, serving as a member, and later chairman, while also chairing the Brumbies disciplinary committee from December of 1999 through to 2009.
In 1982 Mr Madden was awarded life membership of Canberra City District Cricket Club, a forerunner to North Canberra Gungahlin Cricket Club. This life membership was in recognition of his long service to the club, including as president, and he was also chairman of Cricket ACT. Mr Madden organised an anniversary match for the city club in 1980, at which many notable Canberra cricketers played, including Denis Axelby, who is well known to us here in the Assembly.
In 1985 Mr Madden took Cricket ACT to new levels when he was successful in lobbying for the ACT to be incorporated in the Prudential national country cricket championships in Adelaide. This was a major step forward for Cricket ACT. As with
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