objects that look like sculptures but which occur naturally in the beds of
certain Streams. Somebody fishes them out, cleans them up and provides
baskets of them for sale to the tourists. I gave one away and kept the
other – it looks like a headless fertility figure.
In the evening Mike and l went out to a Greek restaurant (roast lamb
at last!) with Derek Carter and Rosemary Ullyot. The less said about
Derek's driving the better; however, when he wasn't joining Mike in Pete-
and-Dud-style comedy routines he dashed me off some marvellous drawings
to accompany my DUFF report (the publication of which was then
imminently expected).
Jennifer Bankier was working for Chief Justice Estey of the High
Court – she would have been the equivalent of a judge's associate, She
had arranged to take me on a tour of her place of work. Phil and Patrick
Neilsen Hayden picked me up, originally intending to drop me and run.
However, they both decided to stay, and Jennifer took all three of us to
lunch in the Barristers' Dining Room (where barristers often take their
clients). This room was strongly reminiscent of one of the older Melbourne
University colleges, all wood panelling and bookshelves. The food was also
reminiscent of university colleges. However, by this time Jennifer and I
were lost in shop talk, and the men had glazed looks on their faces which
I chose to interpret as fascination. The Canadian legal system is in many
respects very similar to the Australian, but in practice there are all sorts
of little differences. As in the United States the system of training is
different, so that new members of the profession are unleashed upon the
public at a much later age; it seemed that I, fully qualified at the age
of 24, would bc regarded by North American standards as something of
a child prodigy.
Jennifer introduced us to her boss, a very pleasant man who had a
few months previously visited Australia for some Commonwealth-sponsored
vice-regal bunfight, and who was as a result convinced that Australians
had a mania for pomp and ceremony.
The High Court building is about the same age as the one in Melbourne,
and similar in design – I think that such buildings were probably erected
all over the British Empire in the 1880's. It had, however, been lovingly
restored, and centrally heated. Jennifer took us to see a conference room
(complete with dimmable lighting) that was fitted with wood panelling originally
from the Old Bailey in London. Very romantic. All of the Court buildings
are linked together, with a plaza extending into the city square surrounding
them, so one was 'spared the sight of lemming-like hordes of barristers
throwing themselves in front of innocent cars and buses. The High Court
seemed unnaturally quiet; because the Masters and the Prothonotary are
housed in another building there were no scurrying clerks.
We could not get into the celebrated Eaton kidnap trial because the
jury was being charged, so instead we watched Estey hearing submissions
from two evidently extremely capable counsel on what appeared to be a
suit for specific performance. It all turned on the construction of a condition
precedent in a contract of sale drafted by someone whose English wasn't
so hot anyway. I would have stayed all afternoon, but the men were
beginning to get that glazed look again. We revived them with a cup of
coffee in the staff cafeteria, and I realized that I did not recognize even
one of the candy bars in the dispensing machine.
After dropping Patrick off, Phil and I went to the Royal Ontario

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