Noel Power
Sir Noel Power 鮑偉華爵士 | |
---|---|
President of the Court of Appeal of Brunei Darussalam | |
In office 2007–2009 | |
Preceded by | Sir Derek Cons |
Succeeded by | John Mortimer |
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong Acting | |
In office 1996–1997 | |
Preceded by | Sir Ti-liang Yang |
Succeeded by | Andrew Li (Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong) |
Personal details | |
Born | Brisbane, Australia | 4 December 1929
Died | 19 November 2009 Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Brunei-Muara, Brunei | (aged 79)
Sir Noel Plunkett Power,
Power was honoured with a
Biography
Early years
Power was born on 4 December 1929 in
In his early years, Noel Power was educated at Downlands College, Toowoomba, Queensland. After that he read law and studied literature at the University of Queensland where he was a member of the winning team in the Inter-Varsity Debating Competition. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and LL.B degrees from the university.[2]
Judicial career
Shortly after graduation, Power was called to the bars of the High Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Queensland in 1955, where he began his career as a barrister-at-law. In 1965, he moved to Hong Kong and became a magistrate of the Lands Tribunal. He managed to get promoted as President of the Lands Tribunal in 1976. In this capacity, he had compiled the Lands Tribunal Law Reports for three consecutive years, before getting promoted again as a puisne judge of the Supreme Court in 1979.[2] During serving in the Supreme Court, Power was appointed by the government in 1984 to chair the Broadcasting Review Board. Under his chairmanship, the committee published a report in 1985 which resulted in the establishment of the Broadcasting Authority in 1987. In 1987, Power became a judge of the Court of Appeal, a post he had held until 1993 when he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal. From 1994 to 1997, he was also the chairman of the editorial board of the Hong Kong Law Reports.[1][2]
In 1996, Power was appointed acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when
The end of British rule bought many changes to the judicature of Hong Kong. A Court of Final Appeal was set up to replace the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and the Supreme Court was renamed the High Court, and Power was appointed a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal in addition to his original post as Vice-President of the Court of Appeal. Justice Power retired from the Court of Appeal in July 1999 but continued to serve in the Court of Final Appeal. In 2005, he was one of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal who heard the inheritance dispute between local business tycoon, Nina Wang, and her old aged father-in-law. The case was one of the longest civil trials in the legal history of Hong Kong. The court finally overturned the previous High Court rulings and found in favour of Nina Wang.
To mark his contribution to the judiciary of Hong Kong, Power was appointed a
In 2000, an
Later years
Since 1980, Power had already served as visiting judge to Brunei Darussalam on several occasions. After retiring from the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong in 1999, he was appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Brunei Darussalam in 2003, and became President of the Court of Appeal of Brunei Darussalam in 2007.[2][4]
Power resided in Australia in his final years but kept travelling frequently to hear cases in Brunei. Despite declining health, he managed to work through the legal year of 2009 in Brunei.
Death
On 19 November 2009, he suddenly suffered a heart attack and was sent to the Jerudong Park Medical Centre in Brunei. He died on the same day in the medical centre, while he was still in office, aged 79.[5]
The death of Justice Power was grieved by the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam and Chief Justice of Hong Kong, Andrew Li. In his statement, Chief Justice Li particularly praised him as "one of the most outstanding Judges to have served Hong Kong in recent decades. He was an outstanding lawyer and his judgments have provided authoritative guidance in many areas, particularly in the criminal field."[6] A memorial service was held by the Law Society of Brunei on 21 November. Lady Power and key people from the judiciary of Brunei were present.[7]
Family
Power was married to Irma Maroya, a Croatian, in Australia on 27 March 1965.[1] They moved to Hong Kong soon after their marriage. The couple had two sons and one daughter. Sir Noel's hobbies included travelling, reading, and cooking and wine tasting.[2] From 1984 to 1999 he was the Chairman of Hong Kong Island of the International Food and Wine Society. From 1994 to 1999 he was Chairman of Asia-Pacific Zone and from 1999 to 2009 was Chairman of Gold Coast of the same society.[1] Sir Noel found the Wines of the Pacific Rim Fair in Hong Kong in 1988. The Fair had become an annual event since then.[8]
Honours
- Knight Bachelor (1999)
- Gold Bauhinia Star (1999)
See also
- Sir Ti-liang Yang
- Robert Chung Ting-yiu
- Supreme Court of Hong Kong
References
- ^ a b c d e "Sir Noel Plunkett Power Archived 13 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine", Supreme Court of Queensland Library, retrieved on 24 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f Who's Who. London: A & C Black, 2008.
- ^ 〈梁振英:港大問題港大解決〉,《星島網新聞回顧》,2000年7月27日。
- ^ "Brunei Darussalam Newsletter (Volume 22, Issue 29)" (PDF). Brunei Darussalam Prime Minister's Office (Department of Information). 15 May 2007. p. 4.
- ^ "President Of Brunei Court Of Appeal Passes Away", BruDirect.COM, 21 November 2009.
- ^ "Former top judge, Sir Noel Power, dies Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine", RTHK News, 20 November 2009.
- ^ Danial Norjidi, "Tribute for late Justice[permanent dead link]", Borneo Bulletin, 22 November 2009.
- ^ 〈理財智慧:Winpac推動葡萄酒文化〉,《蘋果日報》,2005年1月25日。
Additional sources
- Who's Who. London: A & C Black, 2008.
- "Former top judge, Sir Noel Power, dies", RTHK News, 20 November 2009.
- "President Of Brunei Court Of Appeal Passes Away", BruDirect.COM, 21 November 2009.
- "Sir Noel Plunkett Power", Supreme Court of Queensland Library, retrieved on 24 November 2009.
- Danial Norjidi, "Tribute for late Justice", Borneo Bulletin, 22 November 2009.
- 〈梁振英:港大問題港大解決〉,《星島網新聞回顧》,2000年7月27日。
Further reading
- REPORT TO THE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG BY THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION PANEL, University of Hong Kong, 26 August 2000.
External links
- Shaping Queensland: Prominent Legal Families – Power and Hart
- Former top judge, Sir Noel Power, dies
- OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS, HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 19 March 1986