New Magistrate Chosen

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31248, 21 December 1966, Page 22

New Magistrate Chosen

Mr W. F. Brown, a Christchurch barrister and solicitor, has been appointed a magistrate with headquarters in Whangarei. This was announced yesterday by the Minister of Justice (Mr Hanan). Mr Brown expects to take up his appointment about February 1.

Aged 41, Mr Brown was born at Tai Tapu, where he attended primary school. He then went to the Christchurch West High School (now the Hagley High School) and joined the Justice Department as a cadet in the Magistarate’s Court office. He was there for five years. Mr Brown later joined the legal firm of Mr R. L. Ronaldson as a law clerk and became a barrister and solicitor in 1948. He was a partner in the firm of Messrs R. A. Young, Hunter, Cooke, and Brown for five years until he joined his present firm of Messrs A. J. Malley, Sons, Brown and Mahon 13 years ago. Mr Brown has practised almost exclusively in the courts, and has specialised in liquor licensing. * Trials in which he took part

included the Bell trial, which lasted eight days and was won on appeal, and the Koning trial, which was the first in

New Zealand in which it was successfully held in a lower court hearing that an accused was unfit to plead. Mr Brown lectured in Roman law at Canterbury University and examined in the subject. Outside law Mr Brown’s major interest has been debating, formerly as a participant and now as a judge. He was one of three to represent Canterbury University against a touring Australian Universities team about 14 years ago, and he has held all offices in the Christchurch Federated Debating Societies. Mr Brown is a member of the Russley and Hanmer Springs golf clubs, plays tennis, and is keen on fly fishing, but does not have enough time for it. He enjoys game shooting.

Mr Brown is married, with a son aged 12 and a daughter aged nine. He will be the sole magistrate at Whangarei, and will be sworn in before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.