Brian Bourke interview 10 October 2005

For, in a sense, training practice before one does decide to join the Bar?

Yes, when I'd finished articles and I suppose during the end of my articles and the years I was working as a solicitor, I was involved at Pentridge (Prison). I'm actually a life member of the La Trobe Debating Club, which was the debating club that used to be at Pentridge. I suppose that's all gone, I don't think they'd transport that out to Port Phillip, but that was great. I got to know all the crims, helped them with debating. As a matter of fact, we had a fellow named John Brian Kerr, a very celebrated murderer represented by Rob Monahan, one of the great advocates who subsequently became a Supreme Court Judge, (he's) got a son at the Bar now. Kerr was a leading light out there, he was a radio announcer - Kerr - and he was the person in charge of 3PD Pentridge. He was also the king of the debating and we got him into the Victorian Debating Team. I'd be scratching to remember the year, but it would have been about 1958 or '59 and the company that he kept in that team was interesting. Ivor Greenwood who subsequently became the Federal Attorney General. Alan Missen who read at the Bar but didn't stay long. He was a solicitor, very well known, became a senator for years and years, in fact Missen and I wrote a book on debating, The Australian Debater. Barry Beach, a very prominent judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, a great fellow.

Conducted for the Bar Oral History project by Juliette Brodsky in Owen Dixon Chambers East and filmed by Stewart Carter (People Pictures)