Sir Anthony Mason, Australia’s ninth High Court chief justice, dies aged 100
Australian legal giant Sir Anthony Mason, who served as the ninth chief justice of the Supreme Court of Australia and was part of many important decisions, has died at the age of 100.
Sir Anthony served as a judge in the Supreme Court of NSW and the NSW Court of Appeal before his appointment to the High Court of Australia in 1972.
He was chief justice of the Supreme Court from 1987 to 1995 until he was forced to retire at the age of 70.
For another twenty years, he served up to three months a year on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.
During this time he also served as chancellor of the University of NSW and president of the National Library Council of Australia.
He also occasionally served as president of the Solomon Islands Court of Appeal and as an interim judge of the Supreme Court of Fiji.
Sir Anthony received several honorary doctorates, including the rare DCL (honoris causa) from Oxford University in 1994.
In a lengthy tribute, NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell described Sir Anthony as one of Australia’s greatest judges and public servants.
“After completing my undergraduate degree in law, I had the honor and privilege of serving as one of Sir Anthony’s partners for just over a year in 1990-1991,” he said.
“I have counted the year I spent in Sir Anthony’s chambers as one of the most important and formative years of my professional life.
“It was a rare yet priceless opportunity to observe up close this master forensic craftsman at the height of his powers.
“It was a special privilege to meet his intellectual curiosity and genuine open-mindedness, despite being in such a lofty and important position as Australia’s chief justice.
“It was an example to be desired to observe the clear and consistent expressions of legal principles that came from his pen to guide the legal profession.
“And to be exposed to his keen intellect as well as his insatiable appetite for debate about the law, the legal profession, politics,
sport and world affairs, maintaining a close friendship with him and the late Lady Patricia Mason and other colleagues over more than three decades is something I will both miss and always cherish.
“A very good Australian has passed away but his impact and legacy will live on.”
Sir Anthony, who died just short of his 101st birthday, is survived by two sons and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
