Bill Cowan Alumnus of the Year Award

The Bill Cowan Alumnus of the Year Award recognises outstanding achievements by a Trinity alumnus.

In its second year, the award attracted a remarkably large number of nominees, from a wide range of TC years and areas of interest and expertise.

The award committee thanks all the nominators for their effort in their nominations. The committee also acknowledges the commitment of all those nominated to both the College and the wider community.

At the 2015 Union of the Fleur-de-Lys Drinks Under the Oak, Mr Campbell Bairstow, Provost of the College, presented the award to the Honourable Justice Geoffrey Nettle (TC 1974).

About the Honourable Justice Geoffrey Nettle

Geoffrey Nettle entered Trinity College in 1974, and later was an Annual Giving Leader for five years, from 1993 to 1997. His daughter Jules entered the residential College in 2009, and in 2010 she was the Athletics Captain.

He graduated in Economics from the Australian National University, in Law from the University of Melbourne (with First Class Honours) and as a Bachelor of Civil Law (with First Class Honours) from Magdalen College, Oxford. He commenced his legal career at Mallesons in 1977 and became a partner within five years. He was called to the Victorian Bar in 1982 and developed a large practice specialising in commercial law, equity, taxation, constitutional law and administrative law.

He took silk in 1992. He was one of the leading Queen’s Counsels when he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court Trial Division in July 2002. Subsequently, he was promoted to the Court of Appeal in June 2004. On 4 December 2014, his Excellency the Governor-General, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, accepted the advice of the Government to appoint the Honourable Geoffrey Arthur Akeroyd Nettle QC as the next Justice of the High Court of Australia, and he assumed office on 3 February 2015.

Upon his appointment to the High Court, the office for the Attorney-General for Australia noted that “Justice Nettle is regarded, by bench and bar alike, as one of Australia's finest jurists. His judgments are marked by analytical clarity and deep legal scholarship”.

More

You can view photos of the Drinks Under the Oak event on our Flickr page.

You can read more about the Bill Cowan Alumnus of the Year Award here.