William Brendan Perrignon

Brief description

PER-190

Full description

William Brendan Perrignon was born on 4 June 1919 at Cootamundra, New South Wales, the son of Henry Butler Perrignon. He was educated at the Marist Brothers' Marcellin College, Randwick, and at the University of Sydney (LLB 1st Class Honours1940). He was awarded a Public Exhibition scholarship to the University based on his results in the Leaving Certificate examination of November 1935. He was articled as a law clerk to C K Prentice, Solicitor, Sydney, for a short time before enlisting. (1)

Perrignon enlisted in the Australian Army on 22 July 1940. He served as a gunner in the Middle East. At the time of his discharge on 18 February 1946 he was a captain with a Flash Spotting Battery of the 2/1 Australian Artillery Survey Regiment. (2)

Perrignon was admitted to the New South Wales Bar on 15 February 1946. He practised out of Denman Chambers. He was a tutor and teaching fellow at the University of Sydney Law School during 1946-1947 and was an Acting Lecturer in private international law in 1950. (3)

On 3 April 1958 Perrignon was appointed a Judge of All District Courts of New South Wales and Chairman of Quarters Sessions. On 5 June 1962 he was made a Judge of the New South Wales Industrial Commission. He retired from the Industrial Commission on 3 June 1989. Whilst serving on the Commission, he was also Chairman of the Crown Employees Appeal Board from 1 March 1965 to 31 May 1980 and Senior Chair of its successor the Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal (GREAT) from 1 June 1980 to 3 June 1989. He was also president of the Police Tribunal New South Wales from 19 February 1979 to 3 June 1989. (4)

Following his retirement from the Industrial Commission, Perrignon was a Judge with the New South Wales Racing Appeals Tribunal and the New South Wales Harness Racing Appeals Tribunal. He appears to have served from June 1989 till May 2003. (5)

Perrignon was active in the community. He was president of the Marcellin College Old Boys Union from 1960 to 1963 and president of the Australia-Pakistan Association circa 1962 to 1965. (6)

Perrignon died at Sydney on 31 May 2003, survived by his wife Mary Margaret nee Bannon, whom he married on 21 May 1954, and their seven sons and three daughters. (7)

Endnotes
1. Who's Who in Australia, Melbourne, The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1959, p.635; 1962, p.677; 1965, p.678; 1968, p.685; 1971, p.750; 1974, p.820; 1994, pp.1183-4; 1997, p.1268; 2002, p.1483; HJH Henchman, A Court Rises: the lives and times of the judges of the District Court of New South Wales. Supplement No.1. 1959-1982, Judge 75, Syd., Law Foundation of New South Wales, 1982, n.p.; University of Sydney Calendar, 1936, p.816; 1937, pp.450, 685; 1938, pp.467, 710; 1939, pp.342, 444, 484, 741; 1940, p.258; 1941, pp.245, 621; http://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/index.php (cited 27 May 2008).
2. 'Perrignon, William Brendan', Department of Veterans Affairs World War 2 Nominal Roll http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=A&VeteranID=164603 (cited 17 October 2008); Who's Who in Australia, op.cit.; Henchman, op.cit..
3. Barrister and Solicitors Admission Boards; NRS 13665, Roll of Barristers, 17 February 1927 - 10 June 1955; Reel 2147, p.23; New South Wales Law Almanac, Sydney, NSW Government Printer, 1947, p.68; 1950, p.62; 1958, p.85; Who's Who in Australia, op.cit.
4. New South Wales Law Almanac, op.cit., 1959, p.59; 1963, pp.60-61; 1966, p.68; 1979, pp.52-3; 1980, pp.74-5; 1982, pp.54-5; 1985, pp.74-6; 1986, p.76; 2000, p.78; Australian Law Journal, Vol.32, p.24 (23 May 1958); New South Wales Law Reports, Sydney, Law Book Company Ltd, Vol.17, 1989, p.x; New South Wales Government Gazette, No.14, 26 January 1979, p.341; No.27, 16 February 1979, p.705; No.82, 6 June 1980, p.2866; NSW Attorney General's Department, Annual Report, 1988, p.83.
5. Who's Who in Australia, op.cit.; 'NSW Racing Appeals Tribunal Judge Dies', Australian Breeding and Racing Magazine Industry News, June 2003, http://www.breedingracing.com/indnewsjun.php (cited 21 October 2008).
6. Charles McGee, 'On a Winner: a history of Marcellin College, Randwick 1923-1998', p.106, http://www.marcellin.nsw.edu.au/images/PDF/History_Book.pdf (cited 21 October 2008); Who's Who in Australia, op.cit..
7. Sydney Morning Herald, death notice 4 June 2003, p.32; Henchman, op.cit.; Who's Who in Australia, op.cit..

Notes

Judge, District Court of New South Wales, 03/04/1958 - 04/06/1962
Chairman, New South Wales Quarter Sessions, 03/04/1958 - 04/06/1962
Judge, Industrial Commission of New South Wales, 05/06/1962 - 03/06/1989
Chairman, Crown Employees Appeal Board, 01/03/1965 - 31/05/1980
Senior Chair, Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal, 01/06/1980 - 03/06/1989
President, Police Tribunal New South Wales, 19/02/1979 - 03/06/1989