John Laskey Woolcock
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John Laskey Woolcock (7 November 1861 – 18 January 1929) was a barrister and Supreme Court judge in Queensland, Australia.[1]
Early life
Woolcock was born in St Clement, Cornwall, England, the son of the Rev. William Woolcock, a Bible Christian missionary, and Elizabeth née White.[1] John Woolcock came to Queensland with his family in 1866, and was educated at the Normal School and Brisbane Grammar School.[1] Having won a Queensland exhibition scholarship Woolcock attended the University of Sydney, graduating B.A. in 1883. Woolcock excelled in his course and won the gold medal for English verse, the Wentworth medal for an English essay, the George Allen and Renwick scholarships, and the Belmore medal for agricultural chemistry.[2]
Career
Woolcock taught at Brisbane Grammar School and was later appointed private secretary to premier Sir Samuel Griffith;[1] in that capacity Woolcock attended the colonial convention at Sydney in 1883, the federal council at Hobart in 1886,[1] and the Imperial conference, London in 1887.[2] Woolcock qualified as a barrister and was
Legacy
Woolcock had high ideals, was studious, widely read, and was a hard worker. He wrote a good deal on legal questions such as the liquor act, the local authority act and Friendly Societies law, and was responsible for annotated issues of the justices' act and the health act.[2] Woolcock also wrote detective stories and verse some of which appeared in the Queensland press; an example is included in A Book of Queensland Verse.[2] He was a force in all educational matters and exercised much influence on them in Queensland. In 1895 with S. W. Brooks he initiated the movement for a public library at Brisbane, became a trustee when the library was established, and a member of the board of advice when it was taken over by the government. Woolcock was one of the original members of the University of Queensland senate (1910–16)[1] and for some years was chairman of its education committee.[1] He was especially interested in his old school, Brisbane Grammar School, of which he became a trustee in 1889, and chairman of trustees from 1906 until his death. Woolcock's will bequeathed £100 to the University of Queensland to found the Gertrude-Mary Woolcock memorial prize for proficiency in Greek.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m W. Ross Johnston, 'Woolcock, John Laskey (1861–1929)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol.12, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pp 570–571. Retrieved 21 March 2010
- ^ a b c d e f g Serle, Percival (1949). "Woolcock, John Laskey". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
External links
- Works by or about John Laskey Woolcock at Internet Archive
- Woolcock John Laskey – Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search