Chief Justice of Queensland Paul de Jersey will address some 230 graduates at a University of Queensland ceremony at Mayne Hall, St Lucia, on Monday, May 18 at 6pm.
The graduates are from the University's Business, Economics and Law Faculty.
- Appointed Queensland's Chief Justice in February this year, Chief Justice de Jersey graduated with a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of laws (honours) from the University in 1971. He was also involved with the Queensland University Regiment between 1966 and 1971 (commissioned 1969). Called to the Bar (Queensland) in 1971, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1981. After his appointment as a Queensland Supreme Court judge in 1985, Chief Justice de Jersey chaired the Attorney-General's Consultative Committee on Computerised Legal Information Retrieval 1990-91, was president of the Queensland Industrial Court (1996-97) and chair of the Law Reform Commission (Queensland) 1996-97. He has been chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane since 1991, a member of the Chapter of St John's Cathedral since 1989 and a member of the Anglican Church Grammar School Council between 1990 and 1997. He has been president of the Australian Cancer Society since 1998 and vice-president between 1995 and 1998.
- The national president of the 600-member Australian Women Pilots' Association Carol Durkin, will be awarded a master of laws degree. Mrs Durkin, who has logged more than 2000 flying hours since learning to fly 12 years ago, notches up 150-200 flying hours each year as pilot for her husband, Stan Durkin, who operates an amusement equipment company in four states. The company supplies ferris wheels, chair lifts and other equipment for Shows including the Royal Queensland Show, and the Royal Easter Show in Sydney. Mrs Durkin completed a diploma in social work before graduating bachelor of arts majoring in psychology from Melbourne University (1972) and bachelor of laws from Monash University in 1976. After moving to Queensland five years' ago, she decided to complete a masters degree to keep her hand in study, and because she enjoyed research. Having completed her masters course work degree, Mrs Durkin is hunting for a supervisor to oversee her PhD study in aviation law. She is interested in researching the area of aviation law which deals with the relationship of the regulatory authority responsible for aviation safety with those it regulates.
She said the Australian Women Pilots' Association, founded 48 years ago by Nancy Bird Walton, promoted women in aviation, a field in which women still experienced some bias in gaining employment. 'Members fly everything from tiny little planes to jets,' she said. 'It's harder for young people to learn to fly because you need a combination of time and money, but it's just a technical skill like many other things.' Mrs Durkin pilots a pressurised Beechcraft Baron with the distinctive call sign of VH-CLD, the last three letters coinciding with her initials. She flies under Instrument Flight Rules, preparing detailed flight plans for flying at higher altitudes. Media: for further information, contact Mrs Durkin, telephone 0755 733 602.
- Anne-Marie Rice (bachelor of laws honours) will deliver the valedictory address on the themes of the common experiences of law students and the opportunities from here. Ms Rice, who graduated with an arts degree majoring in English in 1995, was vice-president of the University of Queensland Law Society last year, and in 1996 directed the annual student musical/comedy Law RevueSubmission: Impossible. She and fellow student Jennifer Hetherington won the national and trans-Tasman family law moot competitions organised by the Family Law Council of Australia in 1996 Ms Rice is currently an Associate to Justice Lindenmayer, of the Appeal Division of the Family Court. Her brother, Thomas, is a University of Queensland graduate (commerce/economics 1994) while younger sister Viktoria is a third-year social work student at the University.
- Dr Karen Vaggelas will receive her PhD from the University's School of Law. For her thesis, she developed a model to help lawyers deal with cases involving claims for economic loss. If adopted, the model could lead to more consistency and coherency in negligence cases, improving overall court efficiency. Dr Vaggelas, a senior lecturer with the School, said she developed the model because of the lack of consistency in economic loss cases to date. To complete her PhD, Dr Vaggelas received a Short Term Staff Fellowship from the University. Introduced in 1993, the fellowships assist women who are experiencing difficulties completing postgraduate studies due to demanding work and/or family responsibilities. She can be contacted on telephone 07 3365 2293 (work).
- Mahmoud Ibrahim who graduates as bachelor of laws has presented the T.C. Beirne School of Law with a life-size papyrus of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen for display in the Law Library. Mr Ibrahim, of Taigum, graduated from the Cairo Police Academy with a bachelor of law and police science in 1981 and worked in branches of the Egyptian Police for 11 years, including duties as a police prosecutor and detective. Mr Ibrahim was encouraged by his Italian-born Australian wife Ayesha to visit Australia in 1992, when he applied to study at the University of Queensland. First he had to master the English language, so he spent one year training at the Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education. For the past five years he has worked 16-18 hour days, attending morning classes at University, then working as a security officer for Chubb Security Australia, before returning home for another study session. Mr Ibrahim can be telephoned at 07 3216 5887.
For further information, contact Donna Gauld, University Graduations officer, telephone 07 336 52898.
