Branch history
Southland Presidents, 1878 -
Presidents of the Southland District Law Society (21 December 1878 to 31 January 2009) and the Southland branch of the New Zealand Law Society (from 1 February 2009):
Year | President | Year | President |
1878-79 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1949-50 | HK Carswell |
1879-80 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1950-51 | Geoffrey Charles Broughton |
1880-81 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1951-52 | Charles Noel Bannerman French |
1881-82 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1952-53 | Ian Angus Arthur |
1882-83 | J Harvey | 1953-54 | John Walton Horworth |
1883-84 | W Russell | 1954-55 | John Raymond Mills |
1884-85 | FW Wade | 1955-56 | EHJ Preston |
1885-86 | TP Finn | 1956-57 | HE Russell |
1886-87 | E Tanner | 1957-58 | Robert Philip Humphries Hewat |
1887-88 | E Tanner | 1958-59 | CA Bayley |
1888-89 | J Harvey | 1959-60 | John Gee Grieve |
1889-90 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1960-61 | John Gee Grieve |
1890-91 | W Russell | 1961-62 | Allan Bevars Binnie |
1891-92 | FW Wade | 1962-63 | Allan Bevars Binnie |
1892-93 | RH Rattray | 1963-64 | Geoffrey Hall-Jones |
1893-94 | J Harvey | 1964-65 | Geoffrey Hall-Jones |
1894-95 | J Harvey | 1965-66 | I Hay |
1895-96 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1966-67 | I Hay |
1896-97 | Thomas Morell Macdonald | 1967-68 | Gordon Bruce Fea |
1897-98 | WYH Hall | 1968-69 | Gordon Bruce Fea |
1898-99 | JL McG Watson | 1969-70 | John Alexander Russell |
1899-00 | JA Hanan | 1970-71 | John Alexander Russell |
1900-01 | HA Macdonald | 1971-72 | Colin Campbell Fraser |
1901-02 | CS Longuet | 1972-73 | Colin Campbell Fraser |
1902-03 | W Macalister | 1973-74 | Graeme Stuart Noble |
1903-04 | W Russell | 1974-75 | Graeme Stuart Noble |
1904-05 | HA Macdonald | 1975-76 | Lynton Edwin Laing |
1905-06 | RH Rattray | 1976-77 | Lynton Edwin Laing |
1906-07 | AB Haggitt | 1977-78 | Warren Geoffrey Broughton |
1907-08 | WYH Hall | 1978-79 | Warren Geoffrey Broughton |
1908-09 | E Russell | 1979-80 | Peter Athol Low |
1909-10 | DL Popplewell | 1980-81 | Peter Athol Low |
1910-11 | WA Stout | 1981-82 | James (Jim) Spencer Mee |
1911-12 | JL McG Watson | 1982-83 | James (Jim) Spencer Mee |
1912-13 | JF Lillicrap | 1983-84 | Peter Mervyn Galt |
1913-14 | J Harvey | 1984-85 | Peter Mervyn Galt |
1914-15 | MW Macalister | 1985-86 | Thomas (Tom) McNeil Pryde |
1915-16 | FG O'Beirne | 1986-87 | Thomas (Tom) McNeil Pryde |
1916-17 | AB Haggitt | 1987-88 | John Gibson French |
1917-18 | JF Lillicrap | 1988-89 | John Gibson French |
1918-19 | JL McG Watson | 1989-90 | Kevin Edward Dell |
1919-20 | J Robertson | 1990-91 | Kevin Edward Dell |
1920-21 | WA Stout | 1991-92 | Christopher William Ward |
1921-22 | WA Stout | 1992-93 | Christopher William Ward |
1922-23 | SM Macalister | 1993-94 | Donald (Don) William Irvine |
1923-24 | WG Tait | 1994-95 | Donald (Don) William Irvine |
1924-25 | WG Tait | 1995-96 | Judith Eleanor Flett |
1925-26 | E Russell | 1996-97 | Judith Eleanor Flett |
1926-27 | AM Macdonald | 1997-98 | Paul Edwin Menzies |
1927-28 | SV Raines | 1998-99 | Paul Edwin Menzies |
1928-29 | J Tait | 1999-00 | Charles Edmond French |
1929-30 | FG Hall-Jones | 2000-01 | Charles Edmond French |
1930-31 | BW Hewat | 2001-02 | John Norman Philip Young |
1931-32 | HJ Macalister | 2002-03 | John Norman Philip Young |
1932-33 | GM Broughton | 2003-04 | Richard J Russell |
1933-34 | AB Macalister | 2004-05 | Richard J Russell |
1934-35 | JG Imlay | 2005-06 | Jeffrey Bernard Walker |
1935-36 | JC Prain | 2006-07 | Jeffrey Bernard Walker |
1936-37 | FG O'Beirne | 2007-08 | Paul Russell Adams |
1937-38 | EHJ Preston | 2008-09 | Paul Russell Adams |
1938-39 | MM Macdonald | 2009-10 | Fergus Charles Denis More |
1939-40 | TR Pryde | 2010-11 | Fergus Charles Denis More |
1940-41 | GW Reed | 2011-12 | Edgar James (Tegs) Burt |
1941-42 | NL Watson | 2012-13 | Edgar James (Tegs) Burt |
1942-43 | George Cooper Cruickshank | 2013-14 | William Noel Dawkins |
1943-44 | HE Russell | 2014-15 | William Noel Dawkins |
1944-45 | TV Mahoney | 2015-16 | Toni Maree Green |
1945-46 | J Tait | 2016-17 | Toni Maree Green |
1946-47 | LF Moller | 2017-18 | Malcolm John McKenzie |
1947-48 | KG Roy | 2018-19 | Malcolm John McKenzie |
1948-49 | Jack Hardy Bree Scholefield |
Southland's first lawyers
Invercargill's first qualified legal practitioner was William Stuart. The New Zealand Law Society's centennial history, Portrait of a Profession (Wellington, 1969), says Stuart was born in Edinburgh in 1823, arrived in Otago in 1858 and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor at Dunedin in 1862. "Conveyances were prepared by the firm of Stuart and Hare as early as May 1861. Hare probably did not stay in Invercargill very long, because when the Supreme Court records commenced in June 1863 Stuart was in partnership with one James Harvey, who opened an office in Invercargill on the site of the present Town Hall in August 1862. Harvey was born in Scotland in 1836 and like Stuart read law at Edinburgh University. He arrived in Auckland about 1861, and shortly afterwards went south to Invercargill, there to serve for over fifty years in his profession, serving as Southland District Law Society President several times. He was a member of the Provincial Council and at one time Provincial Solicitor." (page 352).
The first President of the Southland Law Society, Thomas Morell Macdonald (1835-1909), was born in Samoa, the son of a medical missionary. Educated in England he was articled in Auckland to Frederick Whitaker, admitted to the Bar in 1861, and in 1862 set up in practice in Invercargill. Soon afterwards he entered into partnership with William Russell. Macdonald was Provincial Solicitor from 1863 to 1867 and from 1864 until his death in 1909 was Crown Solicitor.
Last updated on the 15th May 2018