Rick Sarre

Judges are typically excellent writers. They would not survive in public office if they could not expertly string a few sentences together in imparting their judicial wisdom. But they are rarely novelists. Ian Callinan QC, formerly of the High Court, is probably the best-known writer of fiction on the Australia legal scene, but even more prolific is Nick Hasluck QC, who until his retirement in 2012 was a member of the Western Australian Supreme Court bench. He has thirteen novels to his name, most of which I have read and all of them I have enjoyed immensely. His latest work is a memoir of his life beginning with his sailing to the United Kingdom in 1964 to pursue postgraduate studies at Wadham College, Oxford, and ending with reflections upon his time in judicial office. It is a terrific read, not only for the images of life for ex-pats in the 1960s in London and the Cotswolds, and for the promptings along the way that gave him ideas for his novels and short stories (the ‘flash of recognition’ he calls it), but for the insights revealed to him by a life immersed not only in the law but on the periphery of high political office. Astute readers of this review will know that his father was Sir Paul Hasluck, a federal minister in the Menzies government and later the Governor-General of Australia. Few will know that Sir Paul began his professional life as a journalist for The West Australian, and later a war historian. Nick’s mother, Alexandra (or ‘Alix’), was also a writer, the author of biographies and Western Australian history. So it comes as no surprise that one of their progeny would have picked up a love of words and storytelling. The key themes that emerge for me from the pages of Beyond the Equator are, firstly, that we must take our opportunities when they arise and let serendipity take us where it will. That’s not always easy for anyone who likes to be totally in control at all times which, in my experience, typifies most of the advocates I know. Secondly, those who feel the creative processes murmuring might want to try their hand at writing. As Nick concludes, literature invariably lights the path to a better understanding of our legal journeys. Rick Sarre is Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the University of South Australia.