Vale: Mark Griffi n QC

Vale: Mark Griffin QC

The following is an abridged version of the eulogy for Mark Griffin QC delivered by his brother, Paul Griffin.

Mark 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

To Dad, It is hard to put into words my love for you. You are my father - my idol - my best friend - and my greatest support. Although our time together on this Earth has come to an end, I have never felt luckier than I do now. To have grown into a young man with you by my side; when our time together could have been so much less; I am, and always will be grateful. I know how much it meant to you that you saw the end of my schooling, and it was your bravery that helped get me through such a difficult year. All our conversations; the laughs; the

lectures; the stories you always repeated; your constructive criticism from the sidelines of my footy matches – these moments we shared will be burnt into my memory forever. I would say goodbye, but I know you well enough now to know that you will never truly leave me. You are a part of me; I promise to carry you with me every day; and because of this, I do not fear what lies ahead. Until we see each other again – I will miss you. I love you with all my heart.

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

opinion of selected politicians, journalists, umpires, the Australian Football League, lawyers and, God forbid, even some members of the judiciary.

His analysis was always colourful and unfiltered and, if challenged, repeated.

Mark was a highly disciplined person. He had an enormous capacity for work and committed himself totally to each and every case.

He was a great storyteller and had a brilliant sense of humour - one of those annoying people who in a group situation, one by one, others would eventually stop talking and everyone would end up listening to him.

He was engaging and genuine and was fiercely loyal to his friends and family.

He loved a good fight and he was the person you wanted in your corner.

Underlying health issues have been a part of Mark’s entire adult life. He took them very seriously, ensuring that he was always in the best possible physical condition that he could be to give himself every chance of a long life. His liver transplant in 2006 was a blessing that he was always grateful for and while the news that was delivered to him twelve months ago was devastating, he accepted it and did what he could to keep it at bay.

He had the highest admiration for all of the medical staff involved in his treatment over years in particular Libby John and the entire team on the Liver Transplant Unit at Flinders Medical Centre.

Equally as important has been the love, care and support shown by Leslee throughout Mark’s illness which has been truly remarkable and has made all the difference.

On Sunday November 24, two weeks before he died, he was determined to get to Matthew’s Valete Dinner at St Ignatius and he did. This is the final official occasion in which the parents and the graduating students come together to celebrate the completion of their time at the school.

The effort that was required and the energy that it consumed left nothing in reserve but he got there and loved every minute of it.

He had a truly remarkable life that has impacted a wide and diverse group of people who will all remember him fondly for many different reasons.

Mark leaves behind people whose fears were eased with some simple legal advice. He leaves behind people for whom he has advocated. People whose innocence he has been able to prove. People who, thanks to him got a second chance and with it the opportunity to turn their lives around.

He leaves behind colleagues who he loved and engaged with over four decades and a host of younger lawyers who have benefited from his knowledge, wisdom and experience as well as friends, some lifelong, others more recent who will always remember him with great affection. But above all, after 62 short years of a life lived at full throttle, Mark Griffin leaves behind a family who loved him very dearly and always will. B

Marie pays tribute to her dear, committed friend

At the funeral of Mark Griffin QC, Marie Shaw QC spoke of her generous, dedicated, courageous friend of over 30 years who she affectionally knew as “Griff ”.

“No better friend could anyone have,” Marie said. “He knew when I was struggling, and he was always there for me. And not once in those 30 years did Mark ever let me buy my own cup of coffee” Marie said that Mark routinely took on the most difficult cases as a barrister and always defended his clients fearlessly. She also described a different kind of courage she saw when Mark knew that his time on earth was nearing an end, but was determined to see his beloved son Matthew graduate from high school.

Last year Marie organised a surprise event to honour Mark, telling Mark that the event in question was to pay tribute to Frank Moran QC.

After Mark had spoken about the entertaining antics of Frank Moran, Michael Abbott AO QC put his arm around Mark and said: “We love you Mark. You’re one of the bravest men I’ve ever met, and tonight, we want to tell you what you mean to us.” The first speaker was the Chief Justice Chris Kourakis, who concluded his remarks about Mark by saying: “Of course, Mark is always welcomed when he appears before the Court of Criminal Appeal.”

Without skipping a beat, Mark interjected with his wicked sense of humour: “You wouldn’t think so from the judgments I get”.

Judge Liesl Chapman and Craig

Caldicott also paid tribute to Mark, telling him what a great lawyer, father and friend Mark was.

“We knew we were the ones who were richer for the tears we shared that night, for the enduring memories we now have of Mark, and for the opportunity we had to show Mark how much we loved him,” Marie said.