Sir Percy Ernest Joske, CMG QC (5 October 1895 – 25 April 1981) was an Australian lawyer, politician and judge. He was a member of 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 ...

from 1951 to 1960, representing 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 ...

. He subsequently served on the Commonwealth Industrial Court from 1960 to 1977, as well as on the supreme courts of the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. He was a prolific author of legal textbooks.

Early life

Joske was born on 5 October 1895 in Albert Park, Victoria. He was the youngest of three children born to Evalyne (née Richards) and Ernest Joske. His mother died in childbirth and his father, a German-born solicitor, remarried in 1898. Joske attended

Wesley College, Melbourne Wesley College is a co-educational, open-entry private school in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is the only school in Victoria to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) from early childhood to Year 12. The college ...

, where he was classmates with future prime minister

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

. He went on to study arts and law at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

(1915),

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

(1918),

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(1921) and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(1923). He was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1917.

Legal career

Joske's legal practice specialised in

divorce law Divorce law, the legal provisions for the dissolution of marriage, varies widely across the globe, reflecting diverse legal systems and cultural norms. Most nations allow for residents to divorce under some conditions except the Philippines (alt ...

. Appointed

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1944, he was the editor of the ''Victorian Law Reports'' from 1936 to 1956, lectured part-time at the University of Melbourne and wrote several legal textbooks. His obituary in ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...

'' stated that he was "probably best known as the author of ''Law and Procedure at Meetings''" (1938). His other works included ''The Remuneration of Commission Agents'' (1924), ''The Law of Marriage and Divorce'' (1925), ''The Law and Principles of Insurance in Australasia'' (1933), and ''Sale of Goods in Australia'' (1949). Joske inherited from his father an association with the dentistry profession, succeeding him as registrar of the Dental Board of Victoria in 1940 and giving lectures in dentistry case law at the Australian College of Dentistry.

Politics

In 1951, he was elected to the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

as the Liberal member for the blue-ribbon seat of Balaclava, being elected in the

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 ...

following the resignation of Thomas White. Joske resigned in 1960 to become Judge of the Commonwealth Industrial Court. He was subsequently appointed to the

Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the highest court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters and hears the most serious criminal matters. The court ha ...

(1960–77) and the

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. It is a ...

(1961–77). He was knighted in 1967, and died in 1981. He was also an author, and published a biography of Sir

a year before his death,.

Personal life

In 1928, Joske married Mavis Connell, a music teacher. Their only child, Thomas Joske, became a judge of the

Federal Court of Australia The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indictable (mo ...

. He was widowed in 1968 and remarried in 1969 to Hilda Dorothy Larcombe (née Thomas), a cousin of his first wife. After their marriage he moved from Melbourne to Sydney, settling in her Georgian-revival mansion ''Somerset'' in the suburb of Strathfield, which was later acquired by Trinity Grammar School. Outside of his parliamentary and judicial careers, Joske served as president of the

Royal Life Saving Society Australia The Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) is a water safety, swimming and lifesaving education organisation in Australia. RLSSA provides courses in water safety, lifesaving and resuscitation. It awards the Bronze Medallion. See also *R ...

from 1951 to 1979. He was appointed

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in 1967 and created

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in 1977. In retirement he published a memoir of Robert Menzies titled ''Sir Robert Menzies 1894-1978: A New, Informal Memoir''. He died in Strathfield on 25 April 1981, aged 85.

References

Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Balaclava Members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George 1895 births 1981 deaths Australian Knights Bachelor Judges of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory Judges of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory Judges from Melbourne Judges of the Commonwealth Industrial Court 20th-century Australian judges Judges of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island People from Albert Park, Victoria Writers from Melbourne Australian people of German descent Australian textbook writers Australian King's Counsel Australian MPs 1951–1954 Australian MPs 1954–1955 Australian MPs 1955–1958 Australian MPs 1958–1961 {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub