Kevin James Holland

Brief description

PER-81

Full description

Kevin James Holland was born on 15 July 1923 at North Sydney, the son of Charles Holland and his wife Ivy Aletha. He was educated at St Raphael's College, Cowra. On 23 January 1941, having increased his age by one year, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as a radio operator, air gunner and in air-sea rescue in Northern Australia, Morotai and Borneo. At the time of his discharge on 31 May 1946, he was a Sergeant with 23rd Squadron. Returning to his studies, he graduated from the University of Sydney in 1950 (LLB Honours Class II). (1)

Holland was admitted to the New South Wales Bar on 13 July 1951. He practised out of 174 Phillip Street, Sydney, and became a Queen's Counsel in 1964. With a diverse practice in most jurisdictions, in both trials and appeals, his practice included constitutional, equity, commercial and common law. He appeared before the Privy Council on a number of occasions. (2)

Holland was active in legal professional development. He was a director of Counsel's Chambers Ltd (CCL) from 20 June 1960 to 17 October 1972. CCL built Wentworth and Selborne Chambers as accommodation for barristers. He served on the Barristers Admission Board and the Solicitors Admission Board as an examiner in procedure, pleading and evidence. He was a member of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences from 1967 and edited their Journal between 1970 and 1972. (3)

Holland was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales from 23 August 1972 to sit in the Equity division. In 1977 he became Judge in Probate. He retired on 2 March 1985. After his retirement he held several commissions as an acting judge. From 4 July to 16 December 1988 he was an Acting Judge in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. He had three commissions as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court: 13 June to 15 December 1989, 7 May to 29 June 1990 and 30 June to 31 August 1990. (4)

After his retirement from the Supreme Court, Holland was involved in a number of inquiries. In 1990 he was Deputy Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council. He was one of the three Royal Commissioners of the Gyles Royal Commission into the Efficiency and Productivity in the Building Industry in New South Wales which ran from July 1990 to 8 May 1992. In October 1993 he was appointed an Assistant Commissioner to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) for a period of three months to investigate the defamation action between New South Wales Treasurer Peter Collins and Dr Michael Ryan of the New South Wales Health Department. From 27 September 1994 he was Acting Commissioner of ICAC until the appointment of Barry O'Keefe in November 1994. He was the founding member of the Local Government Pecuniary Interest Tribunal, appointed on 9 February 1994 for a three year term and reappointed on 9 February 1997 for another three years but he resigned before 25 November 1999. (5)

Holland has been married twice and has two sons from his first marriage. (6)


Endnotes:
1. Who's Who in Australia, Melbourne, The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1965, p.418; 1968, p.434; 1971, p.481; 1974, p.519; 1977, p.537; 1980, p.423; 1983, p.421; 1985, p.421; 1991, p.594; 1994, p.743; 1997, p.791; 2001, p.882; 2004, p.1003; 2008, p.1044; 'Holland, Kevin James', Department of Veterans Affairs World War 2 Nominal Roll http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=R&VeteranID=871518 (cited 14 October 2008); University of Sydney Calendar, Exam Results 1943-47, p.367; 1952 Supplement, pp.151, 220; 1953, p.907, http://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/index.php (cited 27 May, 19 and 22 June 2008).
2. Barrister and Solicitors Admission Boards; NRS 13665, Roll of Barristers, 29 July 1955 - 28 July 1972; Reel 2147, p.34; New South Wales Law Almanac, Sydney, NSW Government Printer, 1952, p.68; 1965, p.94; 1972, p.100; Australian Law Journal, Vol.46, p.479 (September 1972).
3. Ibid; 'Wentworth Chamber 50th Anniversary Past Directors', http://www.counselschambers.com.au/50th/page7.html (cited 15 October 2008); Who's Who in Australia, op.cit..
4. Australian Law Journal, op.cit.; New South Wales Law Almanac for 1995, Sydney, Supreme Court of NSW, 1995, p.XLV; New South Wales Law Reports, Sydney, Law Book Company Ltd, 1972, Vol.1, p.vii; 1979, Vol.1, p.vii, ix; Vol.2, 1985, p.ix; Vol.14, 1988, p.ix; Vol.17, 1989, p.ix; Vol.20, 1990-1991, p.ix.
5. Who's Who in Australia, op.cit.; Independent Commission Against Corruption, Annual Report, 1993/94, pp.v-vi, 24-25; 1995/96, p.48; Local Government Pecuniary Interest Tribunal, Annual Report, 2000, p.2, http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Reports/pit_ar00.pdf (cited 14 October 2008).
6. Who's Who in Australia, op.cit..

Notes

Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales, 23/8/1972 - 02/03/1985
Probate Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales, 1977 - 02/03/1985
Acting Judge, Land and Environment Court of New South Wales, 04/07/1988 - 16/12/1988
Acting Judge, Supreme Court of New South Wales,13/06/1989 - 15/12/1989, 07/05/1990 - 29/06/1990, 30/06/1990 - 31/08/1990
Royal Commissioner, Royal Commission into the Efficiency and Productivity in the Building Industry in New South Wales, July 1990 - 08/05/1992
Assistant Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption, October 1993 - December 1993
Acting Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption, 27/09/1994 - November 1994
Member, Local Government Pecuniary Interest Tribunal, 09/02/1994 - 24/11/1999