Brian Bourke interview 10 October 2005

Just looking at the career briefly of Bob Vernon the advocate, you said he was one of the greatest criminal barristers you ever got to work with. (He died not long ago and) was, I know, the subject of a not too favourable book as well.

Well, yes he was. I was unaware of the problems that he had in that direction and they weren't very pleasant because he was disbelieved by a magistrate over some interference with some kid. But as a barrister, if he was going, he was devastating. He never wasted any time on cross-examination nor did he in addressing a jury. If he were to address a jury in a murder trial, he would take half an hour. Nothing was missed. He was a very vigorous cross-examiner, great raconteur.

He wasn't a close friend of mine. I haven't made all that many friends at the Bar. I know everybody there, sort of accomplices I think. We're all in this mess together, but I don't spend much time, certainly weekends or anything like that with lawyers. There's nothing I can think of that's worse than being with a heap of barristers and getting pissed. Vernon was different. Talk about a man of the world. My God, he'd done everything, Bob Vernon, he was a very competent fellow.

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