IN HONOUR
Vale: Mark Griffin QC The following is an abridged version of the eulogy for Mark Griffin QC delivered by his brother, Paul Griffin.
M
ark Griffin attended school at St Ignatius College, Norwood and later Athelstone from 1966 to 1974. He was a feisty kid with a shocking temper, something that he learnt to control as he grew older. He never got in any real trouble at school, it was more about being very strong willed and going into battle for the kids who may had been getting a hard time. His support of the underdog started early. He was a good student who worked very hard and involved himself in everything at school from sport to debating and even theatre. He was a natural leader. He captained numerous school football and cricket teams and was appointed School Captain in his final year in 1974. He commenced at Adelaide University in 1975, was articled to John Goldberg in 1979 and graduated the same year along with his great friends John Connelly and Michael Doyle. He was admitted on December 17, 1979. This was also the year he first became
unwell when what was initially thought to be a simple case of appendicitis turned out to be something far more serious. Mark was diagnosed with the very rare autoimmune condition that was to chart the course of his health for the rest of his life. Fortunately his condition could be managed, and once he recovered he set about establishing his career as a lawyer. He absolutely loved the law and by the early 1980s had married and with the support of Celine, M A Griffin & Co was established. The practice quickly grew and some years later he merged with Kym Elston and Brian Gilchrist. In the early 1990s Mark moved to Boston and worked in the Public Defender’s Office which he loved, representing some of the most disadvantaged and troubled in the community. In the three years Mark lived in Boston he made some wonderful friends, in particular Fr Frank Herrmann, a Jesuit Priest and Law Lecturer at Boston College Law School.
A LETTER TO DAD lectures; the stories you always repeated; your constructive criticism from the It is hard to put into words my love for sidelines of my footy matches – these you. moments we shared will be burnt into my You are my father - my idol - my best memory forever. friend - and my greatest support. I would say goodbye, but I know you well Although our time together on this Earth enough now to know that you will never has come to an end, I have never felt truly leave me. luckier than I do now. To have grown into You are a part of me; I promise to carry a young man with you by my side; when you with me every day; and because of our time together could have been so much this, I do not fear what lies ahead. less; I am, and always will be grateful. Until we see each other again – I will miss I know how much it meant to you that you you. saw the end of my schooling, and it was I love you with all my heart. your bravery that helped get me through such a difficult year. Your son, Matthew All our conversations; the laughs; the To Dad,
30 THE BULLETIN February 2020
He returned to Adelaide in the mid 1990s. After a short period with the Director of Public Prosecutions he joined the Bar and has thrived on the challenges, demands and workload of life as a Barrister for the past 25 years. Mark loved sport. The Old Ignatians’ Football and Cricket Clubs were a big part of his early life, in particular the Football Club. He was a Best and Fairest winner, A-Grade Captain, Coach, President and was a Life Member. He was a talented sportsman blessed with skill, speed and courage as well as fair bit of aggression which could see him bowl a series of very quick short-pitched balls towards a loud-mouthed batsman or release a humiliating tirade released against an opposition hit-man. Once he lost it, he completely lost it. He was the legal representative for the Port Adelaide Football Club which kept him quite busy at times dealing with an array of both on-field and off-field incidents, usually at very short notice. In Round 2 this season, Port Adelaide will play Adelaide in the Showdown and Port Adelaide will be wearing black armbands in memory of Mark. Family was hugely important to Mark. He was as excited as Edwina and I had ever seen him when Nicholas and William were born and he became a proud uncle for the first time. However this was quickly surpassed when Matthew was born and he and Leslee became proud parents. He was a great dad, totally devoted to Matthew, helping with homework, hours on sidelines barracking, trips to Melbourne for the tennis and sharing the joy and often despair of life as a Port Adelaide supporter. Barracking, he’d be yelling out to a very young Matthew telling him to quickly “get back on your feet as you won’t get your next kick lying on the ground.” This was the way Mark approached his own life. Once an obstacle had presented itself he accepted it, digested it and dealt with it without complaint He was more than happy to share his
