Big celebrations over the next few weeks to commemorate the birth of Sir Redmond Barry (1813-1880). It looks as if 6th and 7th of June are the big days and I’m thinking I might go along for some of it at least.
The official site is here.
EXHIBITIONS:
Redmond Barry Bicentennial Exhibition – Supreme Court Library
210 William St Melbourne 17 May -11 June 2013. Free admission Mon-Friday 8.30 -6.00 (5.00pm. on Friday) Inquiries 96039197
You can read about Redmond Barry’s role in the establishment of the Law Library here.
Redmond Barry and the Melbourne Law School Exhibition
Melbourne Law School Library, Level 3, 185 Pelham St Carlton South
18 May- 22 June 2013 Free admission Inquiries 8344 6177
You can read more about the teaching of law in Melbourne at the Melbourne Law School’s site here.
Evidence of a fruitful life: Redmond Barry and the University of Melbourne exhibition
Ground floor, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne
4-10th June 2013 Free admission
Sir Redmond Barry was founding father and first chancellor of the University of Melbourne. There’s a rather clever interactive timeline of the history of the university here.
Free, secular and democratic: building the Public Library 1853-1913
Keith Murdoch Gallery, State Library of Victoria
30 May 2013- 2 February 2014 (so no hurry for this one….) Free admission.
There’s several guided tours during June listed here.
A BICENTENNIAL WALKING TOUR
Friday 7th June 9.30-12.30 starting at the Supreme Court and finishing at Melbourne General Cemetery. Conducted by Isobel Simpson. $25.00 Inquiries 8344 2016
EVENTS
Redmond Barry: visionary or scoundrel?
Chaired by Damien Carrick from Radio National, the panel includes Justice John Smallwood, historian Robyn Annear and barrister Ken Oldis.
Thursday 6th June 6.00- 7.15 followed by drinks and canapes until 8.30 p.m. Book by Monday 3 June $35 full/ $30 concession/$25 SLV member. 9884 7099.
Redmond Barry symposium
Baillieu Libary University of Melbourne, Friday 7 June 1.30-4.30 p.m. Free admission but RSVP essential – http://go.unimelb.edu.au/6d6n
So much Barry!!! Let’s see- I could do a couple of the exhibitions on Thursday afternoon, then go to the Panel Discussion at the library that night and eat canapes; get up bright and early on Friday morning for a walk around Melbourne to walk off the canapes; then go to the symposium that afternoon.
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 
Barry had two major, positive impacts on my life. 1) I spent four years in the Redmond Barry Building at Mebourne Uni in the mid-late 1960s in the psychology department. 2) the public libray in the city, where I spent endless hours, was Barry’s inspiration. But people are still very ambivalent about Barry’s reputation as a hanging judge in court.
Most of my ‘contact’ with him has been in the 1840s as a young barrister in Judge Willis’ court. He and Willis often sparred in court, although I think that Willis probably had quite a bit of time for him. The feeling doesn’t seem to have been mutual.
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