User:Tamara Slabon/sandbox

Samuel Edward Keith Hulme

Early Life

Samuel Edward Keith Hulme was born on 13 July 1929 to Samuel Edgeley Hulme and Alethea Henrietta (nee Wright). He and his family, elder sister Beatrice Alethea and brother Howard Edgeley, lived in Serrell Street East Malvern. Known as 'Keith' within the family, he became known by the rest of the world as SEK (never ever Samuel!). His father died at a local golf course in 1938, when SEK was only 9 years old.

He attended Lloyd Street Primary school before gaining a scholarship to Wesley College in 1941. Then in 1943 he gained a scholarship to the Royal Australian Naval College but stayed only one year (realising Naval life wasn’t for him) and returned to Wesley College in Feb 1944, where he stayed till completion (matric) in 1947.

Then in 1948 – 1951 he attended Melbourne University and gained a scholarship to live in Queens College. While at Melbourne University he started in 1949 as a Sporting Writer for Farrago Magazine at the time close lifelong friend Geoffrey Blainey was Sporting Editor, and then became Sporting Editor under Geofrey Blainey's term as Editor He was invited to do his articles with Whiting and Byrne. He was also involved with student theatre. In 1952 he was selected to win a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in 1953. Before leaving for Oxford he Signed the Victorian Bar roll in 1953, a practice which no longer occurs, He graduated from Oxford with first class honours Bachelor of Civil Law.

Career

On his return he read with Keith Aickin starting in 1956. He was also admitted to the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn London in 1957. Then he became a QC in 1968.

Since that time he practised as a barrister in Melbourne right though until shortly before his death, retiring only in June 2008. Much of that time he held offices in 205 William Street – Owen Dixon Chambers, then and the newly built extension Owen Dixon Chambers West. Office neighbours were John Karkar QC and James (Jim) Merralls. He was also a member of the esteemed Clerk, ‘Dever’s List’ held by John Dever.

In his earlier career he appeared in court on a frequent basis, however his hereditary deafness meant his later career was more focused on the written word, providing extensive opinions for all sorts of corporate entities. He specialised in Taxation Law, and his love was for (Australian) Constitutional law. He had opportunities to advance into either judicial law or politics, but these too were put aside due in part to familial security concerns, but for the most part again due to his deafness.

Personal Life

After his return from Oxford, he lived in the family home in East Malvern, where he remained until his marriage to Natalia on 25 September 1970. By then they had purchased a home in Toorak, the same home where he later died in 2008. He became stepfather to Elisa; and he and Natalia then had a son, David Ivan who was born in 1971 but died shortly after. Their daughter Tamara Jane was born on 27 February 1973.

During the 1970's SEK made his name in the legal field, there were many high-profile legal cases and his name was often in the papers in association with giants such as Hammersley, and BHP. He celebrated his 50th with a large birthday event at the family’s 200 acre farm in Arthurs Creek (purchased in 1968). He was very conscious that the men in his family often didn’t make it to 50, due to what he termed the ‘family heart’, so he felt he ought to have a celebration. However, he was forced to slow down in 1983 when he had to undergo a double heart bypass (very new surgery at the time).

Family time was taken, he slowed down somewhat, and also had a new passion. In the 1970’s his farm manager at Arthurs Creek, had decided (with permission from SEK of course!) to plant a vineyard. This grew and grew and then came the problem of what to do with the wine that was being made and stored. So, a new business was born, it became the Arthus Creek Estate, which produced award winning wines sold in Melbourne's better restaurants through the nineties until the end was reached in 2004.

Legacy


 * President of the Melbourne Club in 1995.
 * President of the Rolls Royce Owners Club Victoria 1966
 * Non Executive Director of COMALCO 1976-2000
 * Member of the Barristers Tribunal 1980 - 1997
 * On the board of the Human Ethics Committee at the Royal Children's Hospital (Melbourne) and the Royal Australaisian College of Surgeons


 * Board of Barcoo Petroleum
 * Board of The Old Colonists Association (now Abound Communities)
 * Chairman Barristers Chambers Ltd 1979 - 1987
 * 1985-1992 Inaugural Chairman Melbourne university Law School Foundation
 * Board Member Joe White Maltings and Chairman 1999
 * In 1967 he co-wrote Wesley College The First Hundred Years with Geoffrey Blainey and Jim Morrisey:
 * In 1965 he co-Edited a book: The Proceedings of the Medico Legal Society of Victoria (1965)
 * The ‘SEK Hulme Building’ was opened at Rushall Park in the Old Colonists' Association (now Abound Communities) in 2013:

Awards and Honors

As mentioned above:


 * Scholarship to Wesley College
 * Scholarship to Queens College Melbourne University
 * Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University

Then:


 * 1955 Eldon Scholar Award at Oxford University
 * 1992 Queens Birthday Honours List: Member of the Order of Australia for Service to the Law AM

Death

Died peacefully at his home on 27 November 2008

References


 * His Interview videos on the Victorian Bar Association Website: https://old.vicbar.com.au/vicbar_oral/hulme_home.asp
 * Biography of him on the Victorian Bar Association Website https://old.vicbar.com.au/vicbar_oral/hulme_bio.asp
 * Obituary published in the The Australian by Caroline Overington, respected author ( I cannot locate a link) on 12.1.2009

Publications and Addresses

Other Mentions Online
 * “Constitutions and the Constitution” an article written for the Samuel Griffith Society 1992 https://www.samuelgriffith.org/papers
 * “The High Court in Mabo”
 * Submission to the Australian Parliament on Native Title 1993
 * Address by SEK Hulme  about the High Court given at a dinner  in 1994 in Canberra on page 6 – Samuel Griffith Society https://static1.squarespace.com/static/596ef6aec534a5c54429ed9e/t/5c9c65cb24a694b834f0604f/1553753551010/Vol4.pdf
 * Article By SEK Hulme The Constitution and its confused critics 1992 p16
 * Economic and labour relations review 1993 by SEK Hulme https://journals.scholarsportal.info/details/10353046/v04i0001/62_acbftfirparm.xml
 * Recollections, Mainly to do with the Dixon Court (High Court Centenary: Reminiscences and Reflections).


 * His property in Arthurs Creek https://www.upthecreekvictoria.com.au/special-exhibition-artists-of-the-arthurs-creek-district-1953-1970-can-you-help/
 * The High Court and Mr. S.E.K. Hulme Q.C. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+High+Court+and+Mr.+S.E.K.+Hulme+Q.C.-a0130389892
 * Quote from SEK Hulme here re the Australian constitution on p20: https://academyoflaw.org.au/resources/Documents/2018%20Ashleigh%20Mills_Australian%20Academy%20of%20Law%20Prize%20-%20Rights%20and%20freedoms%20under%20the%20Australian%20Constitution.pdf
 * Letter from SEK Hulme as Chairman Joe White Maltings https://www.asx.com.au/asx/v2/statistics/displayAnnouncement.do?display=text&issuerId=1382&announcementId=719655&documentDate=1999-09-08&documentNumber=152003
 * Article mentioning him from Sydney Morning Herald 1984 https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/122666862/