Alex Castles
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Alex" Cuthbert Castles (7 March 1933 – December 2003) was an Australia
n historian and author who specialized in Australian legal history. He is the author of a number of published books in Australia as well as the author of numerous articles written for various journals.
Castles was born in Melbourne
, Australia. He attended the Scotch College
, the University of Melbourne
and the University of Chicago
. He was a tutor at the University of Melbourne and later served as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania
. In 1958 he took up a post in the Faculty of Law at the University of Adelaide and in 1967 was appointed a Professor.
He retired in 1994 and was made an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow of the University of Adelaide
, later accepted appointment as a Professorial Fellow at the Flinders University
School of Law.
He works are regularly cited by Australian Courts. Justice Michael Kirby notes that one of the earliest references is a decision of the High Court of Australia
in Mabo v Queensland
(No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, a significant case in the history of Australia decided by the Court in 1992.
He was also a major contributors to biographies of many Australians who practiced in the law. These biographies are now available online through the Australian biography project.
He also wrote a fascinating book on the legendary 1935 Sydney murders known as the Shark Arm case. The book was called The Shark Arm Murders, published by Wakefield Press, Australia in 1995, which became a best-seller.
and was a member of the Dix Committee, which conducted a review of the Australian Broadcasting Commission
. He served on the Law Reform commission between 1975 and 1981.
called “Ned Kelly's Last Days”. It was published posthumously by his daughter, Jennifer Castles. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
A second posthumous book was published in 2003, "Lawless Harvests or God Save the Judges: Van Diemen's Land 1803-55, a Legal History" (with Stefan Petrow and Kate Ramsay).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n historian and author who specialized in Australian legal history. He is the author of a number of published books in Australia as well as the author of numerous articles written for various journals.
Castles was born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia. He attended the Scotch College
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He was a tutor at the University of Melbourne and later served as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. In 1958 he took up a post in the Faculty of Law at the University of Adelaide and in 1967 was appointed a Professor.
He retired in 1994 and was made an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, later accepted appointment as a Professorial Fellow at the Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
School of Law.
Works
His best known work is An Australian Legal History which was published in 1982. He also published a source book in 1979. Both books are the first systematic attempt to write the legal history of Australia from a local perspective rather than a British perspective. Other books published by Alex Castles include Annotated Biography of Australian Law, Law On North Terrace and Law Makers and Wayward Whigs.He works are regularly cited by Australian Courts. Justice Michael Kirby notes that one of the earliest references is a decision of the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
in Mabo v Queensland
Mabo v Queensland
Mabo v Queensland was a landmark High Court of Australia decision recognising native title in Australia for the first time...
(No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1, a significant case in the history of Australia decided by the Court in 1992.
He was also a major contributors to biographies of many Australians who practiced in the law. These biographies are now available online through the Australian biography project.
He also wrote a fascinating book on the legendary 1935 Sydney murders known as the Shark Arm case. The book was called The Shark Arm Murders, published by Wakefield Press, Australia in 1995, which became a best-seller.
Other work
Castles was one of the founding members of the Australian Law Reform CommissionAustralian Law Reform Commission
The Australian Law Reform Commission is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia and advocate options for law reform...
and was a member of the Dix Committee, which conducted a review of the Australian Broadcasting Commission
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. He served on the Law Reform commission between 1975 and 1981.
Later years and Death
Alex Castles died suddenly in December 2003 before he could publish his latest book on Ned KellyNed Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
called “Ned Kelly's Last Days”. It was published posthumously by his daughter, Jennifer Castles. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
A second posthumous book was published in 2003, "Lawless Harvests or God Save the Judges: Van Diemen's Land 1803-55, a Legal History" (with Stefan Petrow and Kate Ramsay).
Sources
- Australian Law Reform CommissionAustralian Law Reform CommissionThe Australian Law Reform Commission is an Australian independent statutory body established to conduct reviews into the law of Australia and advocate options for law reform...
Issue 81 - http://bar.austlii.edu.au/au/other/alrc/publications/reform/reform84/16.html - Michael KirbyMichael KirbyMichael Donald Kirby AC, CMG, is an Australian retired judge, jurist, and academic who is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, serving from 1996 to 2009.-Biography:Michael Kirby attended Fort Street High School in Sydney...
, High Court of Australia speech - http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_mar04.html