ACT Chief Magistrates and Magistrates in chronological order

Person for the time being holding the office of Police Magistrate at Queanbeyan, NSW

25 November 1930 - 6 September 1936

Person for the time being holding the office of Police Magistrate at Goulburn, NSW

7 September 1936 - 29 November 1949

KEANE, Francis Charles Patrick
First resident magistrate

30 November 1949 - 28 October 1966

BUTTON, John Desmond

14 May 1959 - 30 June 1962

HERMES, Clarence Lindsay
As Chief Magistrate

6 December 1963 - 23 April 1970
4 December 1980 - 29 February 1984

DOBSON, Kevin Townley
As Acting Chief Magistrate

13 December 1963 - 28 April 1986
29 February 1984 - 27 March 1985

PEARSON, Eric Sterndale

19 October 1967 - 30 July 1976

NICHOLL, Warren Keith

26 November 1970 - 19 February 1996

DAINER, John Joseph

10 May 1973 - 23 July 1993

KILDUFF, Charles Francis
As first Chief Magistrate

10 April 1974 - 14 March 1980
28 November 1974 - 14 March 1980

CAHILL, Ronald John
As Chief Magistrate

22 September 1977 - 17 November 2009
28 March 1985 - 17 November 2009

SOMES, Michael Anthony

13 January 1986 - 31 July 2007

WARD, Michael

21 April 1986 - 30 June 1998

DINGWALL, Peter Geoffrey

26 April 1990 - 17 August 2016

BURNS, John Dominic
As Chief Magistrate

26 April 1990 - 14 December 2009
15 December 2009 - 29 July 2011

FRYAR, Karen Margaret

6 September 1993 - 8 March 2019

MADDEN, Shane Godfrey

19 December 1996 - 10 July 2009

CAMPBELL, Lisbeth Ellen

5 August 1998 -  3 March 2023

DOOGAN, Maria Krystyna

5 August 1998 - 30 March 2012

LALOR, Grant Chrysostom

1 February 2004 - Current

WALKER, Lorraine Anne
As Chief Magistrate

19 July 2010 - 12 October 2011
13 October 2011 - 31 July 2019

MOSSOP, David

23 December 2011 - 21 May 2013

MORRISON, Peter John

14 February 2012 - 1 July 2022

BOSS, Bernadette Carmel

11 June 2012 - 14 November 2021

COOK, Robert Matthew

11 September 2013 - Current

THEAKSTON, Glenn
As Acting Chief Magistrate

17 May 2016 - 31 July 2019
1 August 2019 - 31 July 2020

TAYLOR, Louise

10 August 2018 - 16 August 2023

LAWTON, James

6 May 2019 - Current

STEWART, James

6 May 2019 - Current

NOTES:

  • Magistrates were known as Stipendiary Magistrates from 1951 to 1986.
  • The office of Chief Magistrate was created in 1973.
  • Chief Magistrate Kilduff and Stipendiary Magistrates Dobson, Nicholl and Dainer were all re-appointed on 23 March 1977 when legislation to take the positions of Chief Magistrate and Stipendiary Magistrate outside the public service came into effect.
  • The following police magistrates at Queanbeyan or Goulburn appear to have exercised the jurisdiction of the Court of Petty Sessions:
    J.W.T. Forrest, L.C. Nott, J.A.S. Balmain, N.L. Sheridan, F.H. Hardwick, A.C. Atkinson, S.J. Bliss, C.W. Swiney, S.A. Thornton, F.W. Britz, H. Isles, G.C. Hook, A.J. Paton, C.H. Blackmore, and K.W. Smith.

Special Magistrates

Special Magistrates are appointed under the Magistrates Court Act 1930 and unlike permanent magistrates they need not be barristers or solicitors.

However, to be considered for appointment as a Special Magistrate the applicant must display an appropriate knowledge of the relevant law and its underlying principles. They must also possess a high level of expertise in their chosen area or profession and display certain personal qualities such as sound judgment and objectivity.

In the ACT, Special Magistrates are able to hear the same matters as dealt with by Magistrates.

The list below provides the names and date of appointment for those who have served as Special Magistrates in the ACT from 1930.


Chronological index of Special Magistrates of the Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory

Special Magistrate

Appointed

GOODWIN, Colonel John Thomas Hill

25.11.1930 - 6.9.1936

GARRAN, Sir Robert Randolph

27.3.1942

PERCIVAL, Arthur

28.11.1946

MCKILLOP, Robert Alexander

14.5.1947

KEANE, Francis Charles Patrick

18.5.1947 - 29.11.1949
28.10.1966

RHODES, Sidney Richard

9.7.1947 - 6.10.1953

GREEN, Frank Clifton

9.7.1947

THORPE, Frank Gordon

9.7.1947 - 23.12.1953

DENTON, Charles Francis

21.3.1957

DAVIES, John Llanover

16.4.1957

SAWER, Gepffrey

16.4.1957

DEBENHAM, Edmond Monaghan

9.8.1962

HARVEY, Everard Roy

20.9.1962

EDMONDS, Keith Stacey

5.4.1963

MEAGHER, Martin Sylvester

23.4.1963

PATON, Alexander John

24.8.1967

CROMMELIN, Brian Frederick Lake

23.11.1967

HUMBY, Rexton James

17.4.1968

FLYNN, William Stilwell

30.4.1968

SCARLETT, John Roderick

27.3.1969

WARD, Charles Kingsley

27.3.1969

FISCHER, Clement Lewis

29.6.1970

PRICE, Thomas Francis

26.8.1976

PEARSON, Eric Sterndale

26.8.1976

HOGAN, Alan Eugene

22.9.1977 - 5.6.1989

O'CONNOR, Desmond

16.2.1978

NICHOLS, David Bruce

19.10.1978

KILDUFF, Charles Francis

27.3.1980 - 4.11.1981

WYNNE, Anthony William

9.7.1982

O'NEILL, James Joseph

27.1.1983

DOBSON, Kevin Townley

20.8.1986

MURPHY, John Martin

19.5.1988

BANNISTER, Marcus Kessell

14.10.1988

HARDIMAN, Alan Anthony

24.11.1988

SMITH, Douglas William

14.12.1989 - 1.7.1994

DAINER, John Joseph

3.3.1994

HARVEY, Christine Susan

30.9.1994

SYMONS, Elizabeth Marjorie

30.9.1994 - 30.9.2004

DELLAR, Garry George

30.9.1994

NICHOLL, Warren Keith

20.2.1996

WARD, Michael

20.7.1998 - 30.8.1998
22.9.1998 - 30.10.1998

PEEDOM, Michael Henry

11.11.1998 - 10.11.2005

THOMPSON, Phillip Raymond

12.9.2000 - 28.2.2006

PIKE, Ian Henry

29.8.2001 - 28.8.2002

LALOR, Grant Chrysostom

25.6.2002 - 13.12.2002

CUSH, Kenneth Michael

13.10.2008 - 30.06.2010
03.06.2013 - 13.12.2018

STEFANIAK, Bill

17.11.2008 - 2.2.2009

LUNNEY, Graeme

16.05.2011 - 15.05.2014

CHENOWETH, Christopher

16.05.2011 - 15.05.2014

DOOGAN, Maria

03.06.2013 - 06.05.2017

HUNTER, Margaret

21.05.2014 - 8.02.2023

MULLIGAN, Dominic

21.05.2014 - 06.05.2017

HOPKINS, Anthony01.05.2021 - 30.09.2024
CROMPTON, Michael07.02.2022 - 05.02.2023
RUSSELL, Paula01.04.2022 - 30.06.2023
JONES,  Thomas01.04.2022 - 30.09.2024

Jervis Bay Special Magistrates: Commander of HMAS Creswell

21.3.1953 -  Current