Jimmy's weblog

Born: November 13, 1918
Died: August 31, 2004

Clive William Harris spent 26 years as a County Court judge, becoming the seventh longest serving judge of the 20th century when he retired in 1990. Seventeen of those years were spent as chairman of the Victorian Worker’s Compensation Board with his work there leading to the creation of the Accident Compensation Tribunal.

Born in 1918, to William and Edith Harris, Clive spent his first five years in South Kensington before his father was appointed headmaster of Echuca High School.

Life in a small town on the Murray River was fairly quiet during the 1920s and he spent a lot of his free time swimming or fishing in the river. Fishing was to remain a passion for the rest of his life.

After finishing primary and high school in Echuca, he enrolled to study a combined Arts and Law degree at The University of Melbourne. While studying he met Joan Parker, and in 1943 the two were married in the chapel at Queens College where he had boarded during his studies.

World War II had an impact on many people and Clive was no exception, joining the Army Service Corps and spending time in Northern Australia before returning to Melbourne and being admitted to the Bar in 1946.

That year was to prove an exciting one for Clive and Joan, with their first child, Graeme, being born. Three more children followed: Ian in 1948, Alison in 1951, and Maggie in 1956. It was also the year when he entered the Freemasons East Camberwell lodge.

As a barrister, his cases often saw him in the Full Court and on occasions appearing in front of the High Court, and he quickly developed a reputation as a personal injury specialist.

Specialising in personal injury cases, Clive was honoured when the Attorney General appointed him to the County Court bench in March 1964. His first four years on the bench saw him develop a reputation for tolerance, compassion and a deep understanding of the human condition - attributes which were to prove important when he became chairman of the Workers Compensation Board in 1968.

One of the more interesting moments of his judicial career was presiding over a counterfeit case during Australia’s transition from pounds to dollars. It was a good time for counterfeiters as many people were unfamiliar with the new currency and the court room was filled with boxes used as evidence - each containing thousands of dollars, both real and fake.

Within six years of joining the Freemasons he was named Master of the East Camberwell lodge before rising to the office of Grand Master; a position he held from 1972 to 1974. As Grand Master, Clive played an important role in directing the Masonic Building Committee and placing the Masonic temples in a sound financial condition.

In retirement he indulged the love of travel he had developed while researching international workers’ compensation programs. His travel took him all over the world including Europe, the Middle East, Turkey and New Zealand, where he spent many hours happily fly-fishing.

Even when old age caught up with Clive he remained busy, replacing the travel with golf, reading, the company of family and friends as well as regular visits to the Savage Club.

Clive is survived by his sons Graeme and Ian, daughters Alison and Maggie and eight grandchildren.