50 Years of the Police Widows Guild and Commissioning a Judge

Given his lengthy career with the WA Police, today’s lunch event was particularly close to the heart of our Governor.

The Police Widows Guild celebrated 50 years of service to their community, supporting the families of those on the front lines of our state. Attended by Commissioner Col Blanch APM and original members of the Guild, the Governor partook in many lively discussions and stoic reflections on the importance and impact of the group.

Swearing in a Judge

The Governor reads the appointment.

The Honourable Justice Christopher David Bleby was today sworn in as an acting Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and Court of Appeal. The Governor swore Mr Bleby in during a small ceremony at Government House, attended by family, friends and colleagues.

Between 1996 and 2004 Mr Bleby was employed as a solicitor with the Office of the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions and the Crown Solicitor for the State of South Australia, practising primarily in the areas of indictable and summary criminal prosecutions, as well as administrative and constitutional law. From 2004 to 2014 Justice Bleby SC served as a Barrister at Hanson Chambers, practicing in the areas of administrative and constitutional law, employment law, taxation, commercial litigation and succession.

He was appointed Senior Counsel in September 2012, and from 2014 to 2016 was the Crown Advocate for South Australia. He then served as the Solicitor General of South Australia from November 2016 to May 2020 before being appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia and the South Australian Court of Appeal.

Justice Bleby SC is a member of the South Australian Chapter of the International Law Association (2012 – present) as well as the Legal Practitioners’ Education and Admissions Council (2022 – present).  He was awarded a doctorate in Law from the University of Cambridge in 2000, has considerable experience teaching various areas of the law at both the University of Adelaide and the University of Cambridge, and he has authored many wide-ranging legal papers and articles.

 

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