Clarence Lindsay Hermes (16 January 1921 – 24 January 1991) was an Australian barrister and magistrate. He was born at Arncliffe in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

to schoolteacher Alphonse Réné Hermès and Daphne Browne. From 1928 he lived in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

with his family, and in 1936 graduated from Birdwood High School in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. He was unable to afford university and so worked for the ''

Adelaide Advertiser ''The Advertiser'' is a daily tabloid format newspaper based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. First published as a broadsheet named ''The South Australian Advertiser'' on 12 July 1858,Union Bank of Australia The Union Bank of Australia was a bank that operated in Australia and New Zealand from 1837 to 1951. The Union Bank was established in London in October 1837 with a subscribed capital of £500,000. The foundation of the bank followed a visit t ...

. He served in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a radio and intelligence officer. Following his return, under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, he studied law at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. In 1950 he was called to the Bar and joined a firm in

Whyalla Whyalla is a city in South Australia. It was founded as Hummock's Hill, and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, and Gawler, and along ...

. On 9 May 1953 he married nurse Betty Ellen Lewthwaite. In 1953 he was recruited by the

Australian Secret Intelligence Service The Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS ) is the foreign intelligence agency of the Commonwealth of Australia, responsible for gathering, processing, and analysing national security information from around the world, primarily throug ...

and was sent to train with

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

. In 1957 he was expecting an appointment in Indonesia, but the dismissal of Alfred Deakin Brookes put his future in question and he resigned to work for the Crown Solicitor's Office. In 1961 he was appointed to the Adelaide Police Court as a magistrate, and in 1963 moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

as an additional stipendiary magistrate on the Court of Petty Sessions. He developed a keen interest in the rehabilitation of young offenders. He was given the Canberra Citizen of the Year award in 1968. In 1969 he received a Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts Fellowship and visited Europe and the United States studying legal practices surrounding young offenders. In 1970 he was persuaded by the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

to stand for a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

seat of

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

, but he was defeated by

Kep Enderby Keppel Earl Enderby (25 June 1926 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian politician and judge. Enderby was a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Australian Labor Party between 1970 and 1975 and became a senior cabinet minis ...

of the Labor Party. He then became London representative of the

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

's Department, and in 1980 was appointed Chief Magistrate for the Australian Capital Territory. Hermes retired from the bench in 1984, but later served as chair of the ACT Credit Tribunal and as a government consultant. He died in 1991 in

Canberra Hospital Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It is the largest district general hospital in the region with 672 beds catering to a population of about 550,000. It was formed when the Woden V ...

after a heart attack. Clarrie Hermes Drive in

Gungahlin Gungahlin () is a Lands administrative divisions of Australia#Australian Capital Territory, district in the Australian Capital Territory, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The district is subdivided into suburbs, sections and blo ...

and Clarrie Hermes Park in Hughes, where Hermes lived, are named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermes, Clarrie 1921 births 1991 deaths Members of the Order of Australia Australian magistrates Australian barristers Australian spies Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II