15.12.08

Lean Sister Becomes High Court Judge




Virginia Bell (a.k.a. Ginger de Winter), a former member, along with myself, of the anarchic Lean Sisters Theatre Group has been appointed to the bench of Australia's High Court. Virginia was the highly entertaining mistress of ceremonies for the Leans Sisters' performance The Leans Lurch Left at the Tin Sheds, Sydney way back in 1977 and she participated in other of the troupe's energetic performances.

                                         The Leans Lurch Left

From the ABC online news service :
Justice Michael Kirby will be replaced on the High Court bench by the New South Wales Court of Appeal judge, Justice Virginia Bell.

She is the fourth woman to be appointed to the High Court and her appointment will take effect from February 3 next year.

Justice Kirby will retire after reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Justice Bell began her career with the Redfern Legal centre in 1978 and served as counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Services.

She has also sat on the bench of the New South Wales Supreme Court and as a Commissioner with that state's Law Reform Commission.



                                              Virginia Bell in 2006

Onya Virginia ! (as we say in Oz)

(Virginia launched my book New & Selected Poems at the State Library of NSW in 1990)





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